Beautiful Mistake
by pinayflava90
Summary: A drunken night with her former enemy caused Hermione to make a mistake. But something beautiful came out from her nightmare. Problem is, how would former Azkaban prisoner, Draco Malfoy, react when he finds out this one mistake? Rated M for theme, language, and stuff *AU and angsty*
1. Drunken Night

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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**Chapter 1**

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Hermione Granger stared at her two best friends with amusement. "What on earth are you two doing?"

Harry's head shot up to look at her as he grinned sheepishly, "Nothing."

Ron had the grace to look guilty as he tried to stuff the confidential folders back to their rightful place. "Hey, Hermione. You're here early!"

She raised an eyebrow as she strode towards them, grabbing the folders away from Ron's hands. "Alright, what are you both up to?"

Harry sighed in defeat, "Ron decided to be nosy and dig through the Azkaban section of your filing-"

"Hey, you were curious too!" Ron interrupted with a snap.

Harry ignored him and continued, "We were about to put everything back when we caught Malfoy's name-"

"In the Release section," Ron added. "Which I'm quite sure was a mistake; right, Hermione? I mean-"

"Why would you put Draco Malfoy's file in the release section," Harry interrupted. "I thought that is only for those who are granted an early release from Azkaban."

Before Ron could interrupt again, Hermione rolled her eyes and held her hand up. Finally Harry and Ron stayed quiet, waiting for her explanation.

"Yes, Harry, you are correct," she sighed, walking over to her desk to sit down in her chair.

"I had the staff in Azkaban monitor Malfoy's behaviour while he was held there. According to their reports, he was surprisingly behaving in a good manner. Only once had he gotten into a physical fight, but the guards said he wasn't the one who started it."

Harry and Ron exchanged doubtful looks.

"But it's Draco Malfoy," Ron said slowly.

"Thank you for informing me of that, Ronald," Hermione muttered, feeling annoyed.

"He's a Death Eater," Harry said, confused.

"Correction," Hermione said, shooting them a look. "He was an unwilling Death Eater. C'mon, Harry, even you said he couldn't even kill Dumbledore a few years ago. A real Death Eater would do it in a heartbeat."

Harry looked like there was an internal battle raging inside his head, before letting out a deep sigh, "So he's allowed to roam everywhere on Earth anytime he wants now?"

"Not exactly," Hermione said. "He's only allowed in Wizarding places, like Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, etcetera. He has to be wearing this ankle bracelet Muggles use, it monitors him."

"Why don't they just put a spell on him?" Harry asked.

"He's a clever wizard," Hermione shrugged. "He can find a counter-curse. When it comes to Muggle objects, he's clueless."

Ron shook his head, "I still think he deserves to stay in Azkaban with his father."

Harry and Hermione secretly agreed, but neither had any choice but to follow Ministry orders.

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><p>.<p>

Well, well, well.

Why wasn't he at all surprised to see the Muggle-born former Gryffindor inside Flourish & Blotts with her nose stuck on a book?

Draco Malfoy chuckled quietly and shook his head. Sometimes, Granger could be so predictable.

"What's that you got there?" He asked in an interested tone.

Hermione gasped and whipped around to face him. When she saw who interrupted her reading, her eyes widened in surprise. "Malfoy?"

Draco smirked, "Hello, Granger."

Hermione blinked before slowly saying, "Hello..."

What was Draco Malfoy doing here, anyway? She couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Draco nodded towards the book in her hand. "What's that you're reading? You seem like you're very into it."

Still feeling awkward, she replied, "Obviously, or else I wouldn't even be reading it."

He raised an eyebrow.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, looking down at the book.

"It's this really interesting fiction book Ginny recommended for me. She told me I should start reading books that could help my imagination." She frowned and muttered, "Though I really don't see how romance books help."

"Interesting." Draco said, picking out a random book and pretending to flip through the pages with interest. "Instead of reading it here between the shelves, why not just purchase the book?"

Hermione bit her lip, "Can't afford it, it's too pricey. Now will you please leave me alone?"

She gently placed the book back to its rightful place before continuing to walk around the bookshop. She turned her head in time to see Draco grabbing the book she was reading and scoffed.

At least he wasn't following her.

Hermione turned back around and paused when another product caught her eye. Hmm, It wouldn't be bad to buy a new quill, would it? She bit her bottom lip and shrugged, grabbing the new quill to purchase.

A few minutes later, she heard a drawling voice.

"If you can't afford the book then how did the girl Weasley get her hands on it?''

Hermione turned around and saw a smug-looking Draco by her side.

Bloody hell, did he actually follow her?

She flashed him a dirty look before snapping, "Someone borrowed it to her, Malfoy. Now, if you excuse me, I really would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

"Just trying to make a conversation here," Draco said in a defensive tone, as he shoved his hands into his robe pockets, while he continued to follow her. "No need to throw a fit."

Hermione turned around and gawked at him. "I did not throw a fit!"

He smirked and looked at her knowingly. "You are now."

She continued to glare at him and groaned. ''Just sod off, will you? I know I was one of the few people who helped set you free from Azkaban and all, but please. Just because no one wants to hang around with a bloody former Death Eater like yourself, doesn't mean I want to, Malfoy. Just go away and leave me alone for once."

Something flashed on Draco's face, but quickly disappeared before Hermione could decipher what it was.

He looked down on the floor, a tiny frown on his face. He pulled one of his hands from his robe pocket, which appeared to be holding a plastic bag. He finally looked up, his eyes back to their cold glare.

"Great to see you too, Granger," Draco said, handing the plastic bag to her.

Hermione stared at the bag in front of her before slowly accepting it. Draco shook his head in disgust and abruptly left, leaving her alone in the shop. Once she was sure he was gone, she took a peek inside the bag and gasped.

Draco had brought her the book she wanted.

Hermione stared at the book and felt a heavy sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Guilt?

She tsked and groaned inwardly. Why? Why did he buy it for her? She couldn't help snapping at him, it was like a reflex. It was just strange for her that he would be trying to act all civilized just because he was released.

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed.

Of course. Maybe spending time in Azkaban did change him. She was just too rude to realize he was trying to become a better wizard.

With determination, she opened her eyes and felt her feet rushing out the door to follow the confusing former Slytherin.

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><p>.<p>

"Malfoy! Hey, Malfoy!"

Draco was about to apparate back to the Manor when he heard a breathless voice behind him. Turning around, he saw Hermione running towards him.

"Wait, will you?" She called out, slowing down as she neared him.

Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

After she slowed down her heartbeat, Hermione looked up at him and said, "Thanks...for the book, I mean."

Draco gave her a curt nod and turned back around to leave again.

Hermione gawked at him and grabbed his arm before he disappeared, "Malfoy!"

Draco whipped around, pulled his arm out of her grasp and glared down at her. "What do you want, Granger?"

As much as it pained her, she had to swallow her pride and say, "I'm really sorry about what happened back there. You just sort of caught me off guard."

Draco continued to glare at her, his lips in a thin, angry line.

Hermione stared down their feet and muttered, "Why?"

"What?" Draco snapped. "Can't hear you."

"Why did you buy that book for me?"

She could hear Draco's deep sigh and looked up. He was giving her an annoyed look.

"You wanted it," Draco said, shrugging. "I thought I should be doing something nice for you since you did, after all, sort of save me from future years in Azkaban."

Hermione smiled kindly, "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged, shoving his hands back in his pockets again.

They both just stood there feeling the awkwardness creeping around them. Hermione cleared her throat to break the silence and said, "Where were you-uh heading?"

Draco stared at her, making her increasingly uncomfortable.

"I mean," Hermione continued, "If you want to go back to the bookstore again and start all over-"

Draco suddenly laughed. "Merlin Granger, are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

Hermione stared at him in disbelief.

Was he serious?

She felt her face growing hot from anger and shot back, "No! I was trying to be civil, too, you stupid ferret!"

Draco rolled his eyes in amusement. "I don't feel like going back to a place that smells like old parchment. Though I am a bit hungry."

Once she cooled down, Hermione shrugged, "Oh."

Draco laughed again. "Want to join me?"

At the look on Hermione's face, Draco smirked.

"It's not a date, you stupid Muggle," He assured her. "You can buy your own meal and I can buy my own."

It took her a few minutes of thinking before sighing, "Fine."

What harm could a dinner between two former classmates do?

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><p>.<p>

"Here?" Hermione asked, giving the barman a strained smile.

Draco smirked, "Being in Azkaban, you don't get the same luxurious meals as the Leaky Cauldron, Granger. I could use a butterbeer or firewhiskey, right now."

Hermione hesitantly took a seat facing him, "Right."

Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, their drinks arrived.

Hermione watched with disgust as Draco mixed his butterbeer and firewhiskey together. He gulped some of it down noisily and messily, not caring that the liquid was pouring down his chin.

Rolling her eyes, she took small sips of her butterbeer and sighed when the delicious elixir ran through her taste buds. Merlin, it had been months since she'd had a comfort drink like this.

"So tell me, Granger," Draco said, slamming the slightly empty cup on the table. "How are you and the Weasel doing?"

Hermione took a napkin and dabbed the liquid from her upper lip. "His name is Ron, and he's fine."

Draco raised an eyebrow and said incredulously, "You mean you two are still at it?"

Her face had scrunched up in confusion. "What? No! Ronald and I did try having a relationship, but it didn't work out. Being best friends was more comfortable for the both of us."

Draco shrugged and continued to greedily sip on the drink, relishing the burning sensation going down his throat. "Interesting."

It took them nearly an hour to settle comfortably around each other. To Hermione's surprise, Draco was funny, yet quite a gentleman. She couldn't help but think that maybe he did change.

When they finally settled down from their laughter, without thinking, Hermione reached forward and took one of Draco's hands in hers.

She didn't realize Draco had stiffen at her touch.

"You've changed," she simply said, smiling at him.

Draco stared at their linked hands and back at her face. "Have I?"

"Yes. You're still that same git from school," Hermione giggled, "But a bit more mature now, I think."

Draco smirked, putting his cup down. With their hands still held together, he stood up, bringing Hermione with him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Come with me?" Draco asked, staring at her.

Hermione bit her lip.

"Please," Draco pleaded, his eyes boring into hers.

Her mind was too clouded with the firewhiskey Draco had shared with her.

She felt light. Free. With a wide smile, she nodded. "Okay."

Seconds later, she found herself in Draco's room, his lips glued to hers.

Mmm, he tasted like a mixture of firewhiskey and some other alcoholic beverage Hermione's mind couldn't place. She didn't care at the moment. She just loved the way his lips were working with hers. It was bringing foreign sensations to her body.

One part of her mind told her to stop what they were doing, but the other part wanted more.

When he finally pulled away, she realized she was laid on top of his bed with his weight on top of hers. Merlin, it felt heavenly.

"Do you want this?" Draco asked, breathlessly.

Again, the warning bells in her mind sounded muffled. She leaned forward to kiss his lips, "Yes."

With Draco's help, she was introduced to a whole new level of pleasure.

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><p>.<p>

Hermione felt as if a massive rock had been pounding around her head.

What happened last night? Why couldn't she remember a thing except for bits and pieces? Things she remembered included her and Draco laughing out loud, them talking civilly, and his lips on-

Hermione's eyes flew open.

No.

Ignoring the pains, she lifted her head up to see Draco's naked body inches away from hers. She let out a gasp and groaned.

How could she have been so stupid last night?

She glanced back down at Draco's body and sighed. Though it was hard for her to admit it, Draco did seem like a changed wizard. He acted as if he was so into her.

Maybe he was.

Sighing and smiling, she placed her hand on his cheek and caressed his soft skin with her thumb.

Draco's eyes fluttered open and landed on hers. His sleepy frown turned into a satisfied smirk. "Good morning, Granger."

Hermione smiled. "Good morning."

Draco stretched his arms before turning his body to face the ceiling. "You can leave now."

The smile on Hermione's face dropped. "What?"

Draco turned his face to look at her, his smirk still plastered there. "You were a great shag, Granger, I admit. But I don't need you at the moment. You're dismissed."

Hermione stared at him, her mouth open in disbelief. She could feel her heart beating harder and faster. "What are you talking about?"

Draco chuckled, looking back at the ceiling. "Come now, Granger. You said you wanted it. Don't deny it now."

She could feel the humiliation burning through her skin. "Draco-"

He rolled his eyes, "Merlin, you're acting like Pansy. I hate repeating myself. You're dismissed."

The sound of her hand slapping his cheek ricocheted off the walls. The pain was stinging, leaving her with no doubt that it was going to leave some sort of mark later on.

Glaring at her, Draco spat, "Get the hell away from me, mudblood. I don't need Astoria seeing another one of my one-night-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hermione gathered her clothes and apparated back to her flat, where she dropped to the floor without caring that a concerned Ginny was immediately rushing to her side.

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**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON Tumblr FOR FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

**warning - in the future chapters, Hermione will seem a bit OOC (but there's a reason why) and in this story, Draco will be slightly darkish.  
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**REVIEW REVIEW!  
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	2. Some News

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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**Chapter 2**

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"Hermione, please tell me what's wrong," Ginny sighed, handing her friend a chocolate frog. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

Hermione shook her head. She wasn't ready to tell Ginny what had made her upset. It would devastate her even more to see Ginny's reaction if she told her the truth.

"I'm just not feeling well, that's all," Hermione half-lied, cradling the warm blanket Ginny conjured up for her.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You apparated into my flat bawling your eyes out and now you tell me that you are just not feeling well? Do you find me that incompetent?"

Hermione closed her eyes, the pounding inside her head growing more painful than before. "Ginny, please. Not now."

The redhead continued to stare at her with calculating eyes, debating whether she should just drop it for now or keep pushing her to talk.

"Fine," Ginny decided. "I'll let you rest in my flat and then-"

"No, it's fine," Hermione assured her, unwrapping herself from the blanket and trying to hand it back to Ginny. "I'll just go to my own place now-"

"Don't be stupid," Ginny snapped, grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs to the guest bedroom. "You are in no good condition to be apparating or using the Floo network at the moment.

She pushed the the door open and led Hermione towards the bed before closing the windows, changing the temperature to make the room feel warm.

"But I'm fine!" Hermione moaned. But she was already climbing on top of the soft, comfortable bed.

_Mmm,_ so warm, too.

She immediately wrapped herself in the thick blanket and curled her body into a more comfortable position.

Ginny smiled at her friend's behavior and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I can clearly see how fine you are," she said sarcastically. "Just relax and sleep, yeah? Harry will be here in a few hours."

Hermione nodded and laid her head down on the pillow as Ginny left her alone. While her body was relaxing, her brain was racing with thoughts, not giving her the chance for her mind to relax, as well.

How could Draco Malfoy do this to her? Didn't he say he wanted to be nicer to her because she helped him out? He was such a bastard...

Hermione turned to her side and curled up, her eyes beginning to moisten with anger towards herself.

She shouldn't have trusted him easily. Guys like Draco Malfoy never change and are never thankful. Hermione blinked back tears as she suddenly realized something she couldn't believe she'd nearly forgotten.

Draco had coldly taken away her virginity, and he didn't even care.

The thought made her stomach drop and her anger with herself increase, making her feel even more dirty. Oh, how she absolutely hated Draco Malfoy. Never before had she thought she could ever hate a person.

Draco was her first.

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><p>.<p>

"Draco, what do you think of this design?" Astoria asked her fiancé, holding up a magazine. "Do you like it, love?"

Draco merely glanced at the page and nodded, "Sure, Astoria. Whatever you want."

Astoria sighed, disappointed that her husband-to-be couldn't at least pretend that he was excited about their wedding, which was coming in a few months. She placed her magazine down on the table and tried a different tactic to get his attention.

"Draco," Astoria smiled, gently taking his hand with hers. "Do you want to visit some friends tonight? Maybe ask your mother for some advice?"

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, "No, Astoria. Mother is busy at the moment and I'm sure my friends are, as well."

Astoria frowned. ''But you barely talk to them and-"

"Look," Draco said impatiently, "Just pick whatever design you want for the wedding, whatever dress you want, and you'll have it, alright?"

She continued to stare at him for a few seconds before giving up with a nod. She should have known that Draco wasn't into these things.

"Alright, love," Astoria whispered. She leaned in to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Don't be up too late, okay?"

Draco didn't answer, as he appeared to be too busy reading the newspaper about some Quidditch team who had won a game.

Astoria sighed again and got up to leave him in peace. She should have known this whole arranged marriage was going to be boring for her. Though she could admit, when she heard about the arrangement, she was ecstatic.

She would be the future Mrs. Malfoy. She always did had a little crush on him when they were younger...But now that she was getting to know the real Draco Malfoy, she couldn't help but feel regretful and stupid for turning down another man who had actually loved her.

Maybe Draco could learn to love her, too. All she needed to do was to give him some time.

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><p>.<p>

"Hey, Hermione!" Harry and Ron greeted her as she and Ginny entered the restaurant.

"What, no enthusiastic hello for me?" Ginny pretended to look hurt.

"You're my sister, we're related," Ron scoffed, pulling Hermione into a tight hug.

"We're married, Ginny," Harry laughed, hugging Hermione after Ron released her. "I see you everyday."

Ginny scoffed, "That is no excuse."

"Anyway, where have you been, Hermione?" Ron asked, flipping through his menu. "We haven't heard from you in awhile?"

"Oh, you know me," Hermione smiled, trying to push down her guilt. "Been working and all."

"You work too much," Harry frowned.

He leaned to his side to kiss his wife on the cheek, making Ginny's cheek redden with either embarrassment or glee.

Hermione smiled at the gesture, feeling happy that she was with her friends. It had been weeks since her mistake with Draco and she hadn't had any time for herself. She had been diving into her workload just to get the prick out of her mind.

She was having such a great time teasing Ron about how his eating habits never changed, that she didn't notice the way he had looked behind her, scowling.

"You've have got to be kidding me," Ron growled, glaring at something behind Hermione.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione turned to look where he was nodding.

To Hermione's horror, Draco Malfoy strolled inside the restaurant with his arms wrapped around a beautiful girl's waist.

"She looks familiar," Harry frowned, looking at the way the girl seemed attached to Draco.

"Her name is Astoria Greengrass," Ginny informed them. "Ugh, just look at the way she is hanging off of him. It's disturbing."

Hermione kept her eyes on her food, playing with the peas with her fork.

"Oh yeah, she went to Hogwarts a few years after we started, right?" Ron asked. "She's...  
>pretty. What is she doing with the stupid ferret?"<p>

Ginny lightly smacked him on the arm. "Honestly, don't you ever read The Daily Prophet for anything other than Quidditch?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I really don't give a rat's ass about Malfoy being on the front page, so no."

Ginny glared at her brother in annoyance. "If you even bothered to read the headline of the front page, you would have seen that he's engaged to her."

She didn't realize Hermione had stiffened beside her.

"They've got engaged a few years after Hogwarts," Ginny informed them. "I never pegged Malfoy as the marriage type."

"So he was engaged even during his imprisonment in Azkaban?" Ron asked, looking like he didn't believe it.

"Yup," Ginny nodded, biting into her chicken.

"How do you know all of this, anyway?" Harry asked, frowning at his wife suspiciously.

Ginny shrugged. "When you have people like Parvati Patil springing up gossip everywhere she goes and shoving the latest magazine or newspaper on your faces, it's kind of hard not to know."

Engaged.

The fucking bastard was engaged this whole time?

Hermione felt like her insides were burning with fire. How could he do this to her? Wait, that was such a typical Draco Malfoy thing to do. Lie to people to get what he wanted.

All he had to do was bloody sweet-talk her, take her out to eat, and buy her a book. That was all it took to get inside her pants. She couldn't help but feel ashamed and dirty.

Hermione swallowed hard, her hands feeling sweaty and hot. She didn't realize she was breathing very hard until Ron had leaned in towards her to ask, "Hermione? You alright?"

She snapped up in surprise and forced a smile, "Yeah! Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're quiet all of a sudden," Harry said, looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine," Hermione smiled, shaking her head.

But it felt as if the food she was eating was rotting inside her stomach, making her feel sick.

Ginny placed a hand on her forehead, "Merlin, Hermione, you're all sweaty and warm..."

Before Hermione could assure them that she was fine, she felt the food inside her traveling towards her chest. Immediately, she clamped her mouth shut with her hands and shot up.

Ignoring everyone's surprise, she ran towards the restroom and heaved her sickness down the nearest toilet.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

"That was weird," Astoria said softly, looking curiously at the table where the girl with the bushy hair had been sitting.

"What?" Draco asked, looking at the place she was staring.

"Wasn't that Hermione Granger?" Astoria asked.

Draco scoffed. "Who cares?"

Since when does she care about some Muggle-born?

She glared at him and said, "Wasn't she the one who helped you with your case?"

"Yes," Draco sighed. "She was."

"Then the least you can do is be nice to her, you know." Astoria tutted at him, looking down at her menu that was presented to her.

"I was," Draco informed her. "I ran into her and got her this book she wanted. Really nerdy if you ask me."

Astoria looked up in surprise. She felt her face stretching into a smile.

At least Draco was becoming a better person now, she thought, as she brushed away the silky hairs that were covering his eyes. Maybe she should invite Hermione to their wedding.

Draco glanced up in time to see Ginny talking animatedly with Harry and Ron in a frantic matter. Ron shot up from his seat and was in the middle of striding towards the restroom when Ginny grabbed his arm. Draco wished he could hear what she was whispering furiously at her brother.

Not that he cared. He was just...nosy.

"What are you getting, love?" Astoria asked, breaking his thoughts.

Draco looked down at the menu and picked out a random meal. "Salmon."

"Are you insane?" Ginny furiously whispered at her brother, her hands tightening on his wrist. "You can't just barge into the ladies room!"

Ron glared down at his sister. "What's wrong with her? I've noticed her acting strange lately!"

Ginny knew what he meant, but Hermione still hadn't told her anything. "I know, Ron. Just-"

"Look you two, stop arguing," Harry sighed impatiently. "Ginny, go check to see if she's alright. Ron, stay here."

Ginny didn't need to be told twice, as she raced towards the restroom. When she entered, she looked for a closed door that would indicate Hermione was inside.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, knocking on a closed stall. "You in there?"

She heard a cough, a sound like a throat being cleared, and the toilet flushing, before a raspy voice replied back to her, "I'm here."

"You okay?" Ginny asked, biting her bottom lip.

After a few seconds of delay, the stall door opened to reveal a red-eyed Hermione. Ginny gasped as Hermione walked over to the sink.

What the hell just happened to her?

She watched with concern as Hermione began to rinse her mouth with water. "Hermione..."

Hermione ignored her as she pulled out her wand to clean the smeared mess of her makeup on her face. After trying her best to appear at least decent, she let out a deep sigh before turning to Ginny.

"I'm fine," Hermione said in a rough voice before clearing her throat.

Ginny gaped at her and felt a sudden rush of anger. "Don't you dare lie to me, Hermione Jean Granger! Don't you dare! I'm one of your best friends and you can't even tell me what's going on with you?"

Hermione looked away in guilt from the redhead's furious gaze and sighed, "I'm sorry, Ginny."

"You keep telling me that!" Ginny said in an exasperated tone. "Please, Hermione. This isn't like you at all, tell me what's wrong! Even Ron can tell something's up and that's saying something."

Hermione gave her a little smile before nodding in defeat. "Alright...but, if I tell you, please pause the lecture and all that...I really don't need it."

Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "I'm all ears."

Hermione hesitated before sighing to herself.

Here goes nothing.

And so, Hermione told her best friend everything that happened between her and Draco.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Draco sighed as he felt Astoria's arm wrap around his waist. Once he heard that her breathing had become slow and even from sleep, he gently untangled himself from her reach.

He wasn't much of a cuddling person. Who the hell did that anyway?

He turned to his side with his back facing Astoria. He continued to stare at the dark sky outside his window as his mind began to wander on random things.

It had been weeks since he'd had a good shag. It wasn't that Astoria was horrible in bed, she was just...boring. He needed someone with fire. For some reason, his mind sought out the face of Hermione.

Draco's lip curled into a satisfied smirk.

Ah, he still couldn't believe he had taken the mudblood's virginity. Not just any mudblood, though. It was Hermione bloody Granger, Gryffindor war hero, and Harry Potter's best friend.

He had a great time bragging about that to his friends.

Turning to lay on his back, Draco stared at the ceiling. He wondered when the next time he would bump into Hermione would be. Maybe he could bed her a second time. Who knew?

Finally about to sleep, Draco closed his eyes. His last thought lingering on what happened to Hermione and her friends in the restaurant earlier that day.

Not that he cared...

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Ginny watched Hermione heave into the toilet as she helped, lifting up her hair. Ginny crinkled her nose in distaste when the bitter smell hit her nostrils.

Disgusting.

After Hermione flushed the toilet, she shakily got up to wash her mouth in the sink.

It had been weeks since Hermione had told Ginny the truth about everything. To say that Ginny was horrified, disgusted, and angry, was just an understatement. Hermione didn't want to hear anything Ginny had to say, so she'd left her gaping like a fish.

It was only a couple hours later, when Hermione was in the guest room crying over how stupid she was, that she felt warm arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace, letting her know that she wasn't alone. Since then, Ginny had been helping Hermione feel better.

But it looked like something was wrong.

"Hermione," Ginny asked, in the middle of making hard boiled eggs for breakfast. "When was the last time you had your period?'

Hermione looked up from her book in confusion. "What?"

"Your period. When was the last time?"

Hermione blushed, talking about personal things like menstruation made her feel a bit like some innocent little girl. "Er-not sure, why?"

Ginny dropped her cooking and gaped at Hermione. "You're not sure? Give me a rough estimate."

Hermione bit her lip, racking her mind. "I think it's been nearly three weeks since I-"

Oh no.

Hermione gasped, her mouth forming a small O as her mind finally dawned on the realization. "Ginny..."

Ginny, not caring about her boiling eggs anymore, grabbed Hermione's wrist and apparated them to St Mungo's.

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><p>.<p>

The healer looked at Hermione with surprise. "Why, I recognize you! You're the great Hermione Granger!"

Hermione gave the healer an uncomfortable smile. "Not great, just Hermione."

The healer scoffed, "Nonsense! Now, what can I do for you today, Miss Granger?"

Hermione wished Ginny didn't have to stay in the waiting room. This sort of thing wasn't her area of expertise. It wasn't like she read loads of books that delved into sex.

"Er-well, I wanted to know if I was...well, I haven't had my um...my period in a while and-"

The healer gasped, interrupting her. "You want to know if you're pregnant! Oh, of course! But surely they have Muggle tests for that, don't they?"

Hermione nodded. "They do, but I want to make sure it's one hundred percent true. Muggle tests aren't always reliable."

The healer nodded. "Very well, Miss Granger. In order for me to do that, I just need a piece of your hair. I'm going to run the strand with my wand, and if your hair glows, then you're to be a mother!"

Hermione wasn't as excited as the healer appeared to be. She plucked out a piece of her hair and handed it to the healer. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it would jump out of her chest. Ugh, her hands were getting sweaty again, too.

Too nervous and scared to see the results, Hermione looked away and mindlessly stared at a moving picture of a newborn baby. She sighed. Even though she wished to be a mother someday, she just wasn't ready now.

_Please...don't let me be pregnant, please don't let me be pregnant..._

"Congratulations, Miss Granger!"

Oh Merlin, please no.

"You're five weeks pregnant!"

The food inside her stomach decided to travel back up her throat, causing her to vomit for the third time that day.

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON Tumblr FOR FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	3. A Bump

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 3**

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"Here are all the books and magazines I could find, Hermione," Ginny sighed heavily, dumping a pile on the ground beside her. "I never realized how much work it is to be pregnant."

Hermione chuckled as she reached forward to grab a random book. "Thanks, Ginny. You've no idea how much your support means to me."

Ginny placed a hand on her friend's knee, "I'm always here for you, Hermione. You know that."

"Thank you," Hermione said gratefully, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I'm sure Harry and Ron are, too," Ginny said knowingly. "That is, if you decide to tell them."

Hermione's grateful feelings decreased as she sighed heavily. "No, Ginny. I can't tell them yet, please try to understand-"

"I do!" Ginny interrupted. "But they're your two best friends, right? Surely they would stand by you no matter what?"

Hermione made a small impatient sound as she snapped the pregnancy book shut. "Ginny, please. Just give me some time."

Ginny bit her lip to keep from retaliating and counted to ten to calm her anger. "Fine."

Hermione let out a small breath of relief. She looked up from her closed book to give her friend a warm smile, hoping that would dampen the tension around them. To her relief, Ginny gave a reluctant smile back before grabbing another book.

"So," Ginny started, flipping through the pages, "What is there to know about being pregnant?"

"That's what the books are for,'' Hermione laughed, nodding towards the pile.

"Merlin, listen to this!" Ginny laughed, pointing at the sentence as she re-read it, "According to this book, if your baby is a boy, he can get an erection while in your womb!"

"Ginny!" Hermione laughed, throwing the book at her ridiculous friend. ''You're being-"

"Look!" Ginny scoffed, shoving the book in front of her.

"No, thank you," Hermione smiled, shaking her head.

She glanced at Ginny as she continued to voice out random facts and sighed with contentment. Even during tough times like these, she was thankful to have a friend like Ginny to keep her sane.

.

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><p>.<p>

"I don't want to go there," Ron complained as Hermione dragged him inside the ice cream parlor. "We've been here a hundred times already, I'm tired."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, "Ronald Weasley tired of eating ice cream? Rubbish."

"I mean it, Hermione," Ron scoffed, looking down at his stomach. "Mum said I need to lay off the sweets so I don't end up like Harry's Uncle."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're being stupid, Ron. Fine, if you don't want any, I'll buy one for myself."

Before Ron could answer back, he was cut off my a smooth feminine voice.

"Pardon me."

Hermione stiffened. She recognized that voice. Merlin, what the hell was she doing there? The place was packed with Muggles!

Ron frowned at Hermione's behavior before turning to the voice.

"Astoria," he said coldly, remembering the woman from the restaurant. "Can we help you with something?"

Astoria smiled. "Actually, I wanted to thank you both for my fiancé."

Knowing she was acting rude, Hermione sighed as she hesitantly turned around to face the soon-to-be bride of the father of her baby. With that thought, Hermione inwardly cringed.

"Thank us? What for?" Hermione finally said, civilly. If Astoria wanted to act civil, then she could too, right?

"Well you helped-"

"There you are."

Hermione inwardly groaned. Was Merlin punishing her for something she'd done?

"I'm not hungry anymore," Hermione suddenly said, grabbing Ron's arm.

"Oh, please wait," Astoria pleaded. "I really think Draco wanted to thank you both, as

well!"

Before Hermione could protest, her living nightmare started walking towards them.

Draco Malfoy was wearing an impatient look on his face as he addressed Astoria, "Where have you been? Mother and I have been looking all over for you. You know we're not familiar with these Muggle towns."

Astoria turned to him and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, love. I saw Weasley and Granger and I wanted to thank them personally."

Even though Hermione was concentrating hard on the selection of ice creams on the wall, she could feel Draco's piercing gaze on her face.

"Weasley," Draco nodded, his eyes not leaving Hermione. "Granger."

Hermione involuntarily glanced at him with a sigh. To her annoyance, he was smirking.

"You two on a date?" he asked so conversationally that Hermione wanted to vomit.

"Um-"

"Yes."

All three of them were looking at Hermione. She secretly gave Ron a slight pinch on the side as she glided her hand into his.

"Yes, we are."

Draco quirked an eyebrow as he glanced at Ron.

"I'm not entirely surprised. But come on now, Weasley; even you can do better than a..." He gave Hermione a once over while sneering, "plain girl like Granger. Even that bint Brown was better looking."

"Draco!" Astoria gasped, "What the bloody hell is wrong with you!"

"You take that back!" Ron barked angrily, ready to whip out his wand.

Hermione just stood there, feeling shocked and hurt.

She swallowed hard before clutching Ron's hand tightly. She leaned towards her friend and whispered, "I'm not craving for sweets anymore. Can we go?"

"I was just joking," Draco smirked, though his eyes meant otherwise as he continued to look at Hermione.

Something about his stare made Hermione uncomfortable.

Was there something on her face? Was she showing already? She knew Magical pregnancy was different than a normal Muggle pregnancy.

"Well, Mother and I will meet you by the portkey. Don't be late," Draco said sharply to Astoria, as if nothing had happened.

Hermione wanted to slap him.

Astoria rolled her eyes as Draco walked away without saying a proper goodbye.

She turned to Hermione and sighed, "I'm so sorry, Granger. I didn't know Draco was going to be so harsh-"

"Yeah right," Ron muttered. "I bet you planned everything didn't you?"

Astoria glared at him, "No, I didn't. I mean, I knew you lot had some history, but I thought he would be over it."

"It's okay," Hermione cut in, before another argument grew. "I'm used to his... humour."

Astoria flashed her a sad smile. "I really am sorry, Granger."

Hermione suddenly thought that someone as beautiful and nice as Astoria deserved better than Draco.

"Call me Hermione."

Laughing, Astoria patted Hermione on the arm. "I'll see you around then, Hermione. Weasley."

Ron nodded back and watched with amusement as she walked away to follow her husband-to-be.

"That was weird," Ron commented. "What was that all about anyway?"

"No idea," Hermione sighed, letting go of her friend's hand. "I'm sorry I had to put you on the spot like that."

Ron's cheek turned slightly pink as he wiped his now sweaty hands on his pants. "It was no problem. Really."

"I just didn't want Malfoy to-"

"Make fun of you, I know," Ron finished for her. "He did it anyway."

"Git," Hermione sighed. "So, want some free ice cream or not?"

.

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><p>.<p>

"What was that all about?" Astoria snapped, shutting their bedroom door closed for some privacy.

Draco rolled his eyes, "What are you on about now?"

"At the Muggle shop!" Astoria shouted, glaring at the pathetic man in front of her. "Honestly, when I was trying to be nice to those who have helped us in so many ways, you have to go and ruin it!"

"Didn't I already tell you I thanked them?" Draco scoffed. "Besides, it was obvious they wanted to be alone on their little date. If Granger is desperate enough to go for that weasel, I'm sure she must be in dire need of a good shag.

Astoria stared at her fiancé with a mixture of confusion and anger. "What is wrong with you, Draco? What's going on?"

"Nothing," Draco spat, dragging his tie down and throwing it on the bed. "Now shut up so we can go downstairs and have supper."

Astoria stared at him for a few seconds longer. "You're a real piece of work, Draco Malfoy. I've no idea why my parents arranged me to be married to you."

Draco listened to her walk away as he continued to change his clothes. He didn't know why he acted the way he did. It was just how he was.

Was it wrong of him to be acting how he truly felt? Besides, it wasn't like he was lying.

Weasley didn't deserve Granger.

Draco closed his eyes and groaned. The throbbing pain inside his head was increasing. Who cared if he'd hurt her feelings? She should get used to it.

Letting out a tired sigh, he threw himself on the bed and lay down flat to stare at the ceiling. He had just realized something. He couldn't really pinpoint it, but something about the mudblood was different.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"A scoop of cake batter flavored ice cream with a scoop of the peanut butter, please?" Hermione asked eagerly, standing on her tip-toes as she stared down at the selection of sweetness in front of her.

The lady gave her a smile back and handed her the sweet. "Here you go, dear."

"Thank you," Hermione grinned, absently placing her other hand on her slightly bigger stomach as she reached for the ice cream.

The lady noticed this and smirked knowingly. "Ah, I remember my first pregnancy. Made me want to buy a lot of chocolate bars, but I never really ate them!"

Hermione bit her lip, as she handed her the payment. "Oh, does it show already that I'm... expecting?"

She knew Wizarding pregnancy was different than Muggle pregnancy.

According to the _Witch's Guide to Pregnancy, Volume I_, she would crave more things than a Muggle pregnant woman, her emotions would run even more wild, and her hormones might even drive her to act like a completely different person. But the book did say it could vary between witches, so she was hoping things wouldn't get too bad.

"Not that bad, dear," The lady assured her, as Hermione headed towards the exit. "Stay safe out there!"

Hermione waved, feeling warm and happy. It had been awhile since she'd been so happy. She couldn't help but feel free and new. She ate a mouthful of the cake batter ice cream and moaned indulgently.

"Well, well, well," a voice drawled to her right.

Upon hearing that voice, the delighted and blissful feeling of just a moment ago vanished and was replaced with horror and shock.

This was the first time they found themselves alone together since that horrible night.

"Go away, Malfoy," Hermione growled, taking longer, faster strides.

Draco smirked, "Ice cream again, Granger? Careful, you looked like you've gained a stone."

Hermione shot him a look, "What are you doing here?"

"Astoria has decided to degrade herself by getting a Muggle-made wedding dress," Draco scoffed, placing his hands inside his pockets. "Pathetic."

"You're pathetic!" Hermione spat, whirling around to face him. "I mean, what do you want from me? Are you stalking me?"

Draco had the nerve to chuckle. "Funny. I could ask you the same thing. Tell me Granger, do you miss me or something?"

"What?"

"Weasley not up to your standards? That's why you're making sure you're everywhere I am?" Draco asked, smirking menacingly. "Need me again? Because if you do-"

"Fuck. You." Hermione spat slowly.

Draco's eyes narrowed as his smirk turned more sinister.

"Don't you remember, Granger?" He breathed softly, "You already did."

The sound of her slap was enough to cause some of the people passing to stop short and look at them in shock.

Draco slowly turned his head back to face her and smirked without humor. Hermione was shocked.

Shame and embarrassment were surrounding her as she saw several people eying them. Merlin, couldn't they mind their own business?

"Malfoy, I'm so-"

"You're going to regret that, mudblood." Draco sneered, making her involuntarily take a step back.

Without warning, he smacked the ice cream from her hand and smirked as it fell to the ground in a mess. Hermione stared at the ground in shock before looking back at him with a glare on her face.

"How dare you?"

"Like I said," Draco said, "you look a bit fatter since I saw you. Don't want to end up looking like Goyle, do you?"

Hermione felt that familiar sting in her eyes, but refused to show any weakness in front of Malfoy. But he noticed. And he loved it.

Smirking again, he gave Hermione a fake pout. "Aw, did I hurt the mudblood's feelings?"

"I thought you'd changed," Hermione said softly. "At the bookstore that day, you were nicer...I thought you had actually changed? I-"

"Merlin, you're so gullible." Draco laughed cruelly. "You should keep a reminder inside that innocent little head of yours, Granger, that guys will say anything to land themselves a quick fuck."

Hermione was shaking. She knew she should control herself for the sake of the baby, so she placed a hand on her stomach to remind herself to calm down.

"Please leave me alone," she whispered, trying to tame the rapid beating of her heart. She can't lose control now. She just can't.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her defeat and sneered, "Don't think I won't make you pay for your mistake, mudblood."

It's your mistake, too, Hermione thought silently.

Giving her one last angry look, Draco elbowed her out of his way as he left.

Ignoring everyone's concerned faces, Hermione rushed towards a dark corner and apparated home.

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON Tumblr FOR FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	4. Glamor Charms

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 4  
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Hermione glared at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but let out a helpless, dry sob.

"What on earth are you doing?" Ginny laughed as she continued to watch her friend in amusement. "You've been staring at the mirror for ages."

"I really am fat," Hermione mumbled, rubbing her hand on her slightly swollen stomach.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're not fat, you're pregnant."

"Malfoy said I'm fat," Hermione spouted, accidentally.

Ginny rushed towards her side, frowning. "Wait, what? When the hell did you meet up with Malfoy?"

"I didn't." Hermione groaned inwardly at her slip and sighed before turning away from her reflection. She sat on the edge of Ginny's bed and shrugged. "I bumped into him weeks ago and we exchanged a few … pleasantries."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And you believed him when he called you fat?"

"I am," Hermione growled.

Ginny tsked with annoyance. "You're being incredibly stupid. I'm blaming the hormones." Before Hermione could retort back, Ginny grabbed her wand from the table and muttered a concealment charm over Hermione's stomach. "There! Now you look normal."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Well Harry and Ron said they were going to stop by for a bit tonight. Don't you think it's time to tell your best mates the news?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms as she leaned on the wall, watching for her friend's reaction.

Hermione groaned. "I know it is, but I just don't know what to tell them!"

"Tell them the truth!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Hermione said sarcastically, her pregnancy hormones getting the best of her. "I'll just tell them 'Why, hello, Harry and Ron. I just thought I'd let you know that Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass' husband-to-be and our long-time childhood nemesis basically - to put in a nice way - took advantage of me in an intimate way! Oh, and that's not the best part, he even left me a gift!' And when either Ron or Harry asks what kind of gift, I'll say something like 'Oh, well, you know...a child! Yup, that's right boys, I'm pregnant!'"

Ginny stared at Hermione with wide eyes, clearly shocked at her outburst. "Merlin, if pregnancy causes you to act this insane, then I'm having second thoughts about having a child of my own."

"I'm serious, Ginny!" Hermione snapped.

"Calm down, Hermione," Ginny rolled her eyes, though she seemed slightly amused. "Those are your hormones talking right now. I've read that pregnancy can do that to you."

Before Hermione could retort back, Ron burst through the door.

"Who's pregnant?" he asked, attacking Hermione with a hug. "I win Harry! You owe three Galleons!"

"Ron," Harry sighed, appearing after him and giving his wife an affectionate greeting."I told you we would see who's faster, you were being unfair; you apparated first and just ran with a head start."

"Excuses, excuses," Ron scoffed before turning to the girls with a curious expression. "So, who's pregnant?"

Ginny cleared her throat and shrugged innocently. "Pregnant? I don't know." She turned to Hermione with a knowing gaze. "Hermione, do you know anyone who is pregnant?"

Hermione wanted nothing more than to just melt right then and there.

How did Ginny expect her to just confess her news before she was ready? And she wasn't confessing to just anyone, but to Harry and Ron, who both really disliked Draco.

Just the thought of what their reaction would be made Hermione nervous. "I...um...well you see I-Oh, Merlin-"

"Hermione?" Harry asked in concern, walking towards her. "You alright?"

She gave Harry a forced smile and nodded. "Yes. Harry, I think you and Ron need to sit down for this one."

Harry and Ron shot each other looks of concern before obeying.

"Right," Hermione sighed, looking at Ginny for some help. Ginny just nodded for her to continue. "I'm going to tell you both something. But please, do not interrupt me unless I'm done, alright?"

"That means you Ron," Ginny interrupted.

Ron frowned at her. "Um, okay."

"Okay." Hermione felt the palms of her hands beginning to moisten with sweat.

"Go on," Ginny said comfortingly.

Hermione closed her eyes for only a second to gather her thoughts before she finally told her two best friends the news.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Astoria, this is getting ridiculous," Draco sighed impatiently as he watched the woman pick out a few more wedding dresses. "We've been at this for weeks. Weeks, and you still haven't found a bloody dress?"

"You would never understand, Draco, because you're a man," Astoria sighed.

"You're only going to be wearing the stupid dress for one day," Draco scoffed. "And let me remind you that the only reason we're getting married is because of that stupid arrangement our fam-"

"Why are you being so cruel?" Astoria asked suddenly, glaring at him. "I'm just-"

"I'm tired!" Draco barked impatiently.

"Then go back to the manor!" she cried out. "Go! I'll just have Narcissa join me tomorrow."

"Thank Merlin," Draco said sarcastically, apparating back to Malfoy Manor without waiting for Astoria.

Astoria glared at the spot from which Draco disappeared and groaned. "Useless git."

"Now, that wasn't very nice."

She whirled around to face a young man with a kind face wearing an amused smirk.

"Pardon?" Astoria snapped, how dare he listen to their conversation!

The man shrugged, "I work here, Miss. It's kind of hard not to hear customers."

"Oh," Astoria scoffed as she dumped her choices into the man's arms. "Here. I would like to try these on, please."

"The fitting room is right there," the man nodded towards the corner. "I don't work here to hold your dresses."

Astoria stared at the man and frowned. "Fine then. Give them back so I can carry the heavy load all the way to the dressing room. Then if your boss sees me struggling, I'll tell her you refused to help me."

The man chuckled. "Merlin! Poor Draco, having to put up with you."

Astoria's eyes widened. "What?"

He knew her fiancé? Now that she thought about it, this man did look a bit familiar...

The man shook his head, smiling. "Never mind. Here, I'll help you, just this once."

Before she could say anything back, the man had walked towards the dressing room, making sure the dresses weren't touching the floor.

"Thanks," Astoria said awkwardly, as he hung the dresses on the wall. "You know Draco?"

"Yeah. We went to school together,'' he said, smiling kindly at her.

Draco has never smiled at me like that before, Astoria suddenly thought, sadly. This guy was much more of a gentleman than her future husband.

"Well, is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"No, thank you," Astoria said. "But may I ask what your name is?"

The man smiled at her again and shook his head. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" Astoria asked.

The guy gave a nervous chuckle. "I really need to get back to work, Miss. Let me know if there's anything else you need."

"That doesn't mean I can't have your name." Astoria snapped.

Why was it so hard for him to give her a name? She only wanted to know his name because he looked extremely familiar. Maybe they went to Hogwarts together.

He studied her for a few moments, before nodding. "It's me, Astoria. Blaise Zabini."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Of course they were angry.

Well. Not really angry with her, but very angry with the man who did this to her. They knew this was something she would never do to herself.

Hermione sighed and kicked a nearby rock. It took all of Ginny's and Hermione's combined charms and multiple promises to ensure that Harry and Ron would stay put and not go out to try and murder Draco.

Not that she would mind.

She found a bench nearby and sat down. Even though the glamor charm was giving her a flat stomach, she could still feel the heaviness when she walked. It was there and it was making her more tired than ever.

She wanted the baby to come out already. She wished, for once, that she was just a muggle so she would know the approximate month she will deliver. According to her books, it varies on witches because of just their magic being off balance. Sometimes the baby would come months sooner, sometimes months later.

Maybe that's why some muggle-borns were born way early than how they were supposed to! Hermione sighed as her mind began to wander. She was just tired, upset, moody, hungry, and in pain.

She wanted to punch Draco for doing this to her. Wait, no, not just punch; she wanted to punish and hurt him until he realized how much pain he had caused her. She wished she had never made the mistake of trusting him in the first place.

But at least something good came out of this.

She placed a hand on her charmed-flat stomach and whispered, "I can't wait to see you, baby."

"What the fuck?"

Hermione gasped in shock before whipping around to face her intruder. Her expression darkened at the sight of him standing there, watching her as if she had lost her mind.

"What the hell are you doing, mudblood?" Draco asked, giving her an appraising look. "Did I just see you talking to your stomach?"

"Piss off, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, getting up to walk away from him.

Draco smirked and followed her. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere you aren't."

"Good one, Granger,'' he said, sarcastically.

Hermione had had enough.

"Look," she said in a low, angry voice, walking towards him until she could see how striking his gray eyes were up close, "Leave me alone, please. I have had enough of you harassing me-"

"Harassing you?'' Draco barked a laugh, "Last time I saw you, you were the one who slapped me in the face? Which you still need to be punished for-"

"Shut up!" Hermione snapped angrily, "Why must you bother me all the time? What do you want from me, huh?"

"You obviously need another shag, Granger," Draco smirked. "Too uptight and bitchy."

Hermione took a step back, afraid she might do something drastic, like smack him again.

"Tell me, Granger," Draco whispered quietly, taking a step closer to her and ignoring the looks of those around them, "When was the last time you had a good fuck?"

"Stop," Hermione whispered. What was wrong with her? It was as if a heavy weight was being pushed down upon her chest. "Please leave me alone."

But Draco wouldn't have it, as he continued to stalk towards her until she hit the back of a bench. He was standing so close that he could feel her breath on his chin.

He was too close. She couldn't stand it. She wanted to shove him away from her, but she was afraid of what he would do once she touched him.

Should she scream for help? There were people around them! Surely they would see there was a distressed young woman in need of help!

"Was it me last time, Granger?" he asked slowly, lifting his fingers to touch her cheeks. "You liked it didn't you, huh? Just waiting for me aren't you, you filthy mudblood."

Hermione felt as if her heartbeat was rapidly increasing, and she tried to calm herself down by taking a few deep breaths. Draco raised an eyebrow, watching her the whole time.

"Leave," she said, trying to give him a small shove.

Draco laughed, "Poor pathetic mudblood."

Before she realized what she was doing, she had lifted her hand and slapped him in the face. It wasn't until she felt the stinging in her hand that she realized what she'd done.

Oh no. Oh no no no, she'd done it again.

Draco lifted his face and glared at her. The glint in his eyes transforming to something that frightened her. But before he could do anything, she shoved him hard again and stormed away.

He was about to follow her and give her a piece of his mind when she bent down and threw up in the nearest trash bin. Draco stopped and stared.

What the hell?

She continued to throw up in the garbage until, finally, a few ladies stopped jogging and ran towards them.

"Is she okay?"

"Are you alright dear?"

One of the ladies looked at Draco, "Is your girlfriend okay?"

Draco glared at the woman in front of him.

Was this witch stupid? Did she not know who he was?

''No-I'm fine," Hermione cried out as she tried to prevent further vomiting.

Draco took a step back from the scene and gave Hermione a dirty glare. "Granger!"

Hermione weakly lifted her head up to look at Draco, but suddenly felt the concerned people around her and him slipping away.

"She's fainted!" one of the women called out.

Without thinking, Draco immediately ran to Hermione's side. He scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the foul smell of sickness, and apparated to his Manor.

There was no way he would let himself be seen carrying a mudblood into St Mungo's. Astoria or his mother or even his house elves would figure out what was wrong with this filth in his arms.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Draco where have you-is that Hermione Granger?" Astoria cried out, following Draco to the guest room. "What's wrong with her? Is she-"

"Shut up, Astoria!" Draco shouted in annoyance. "Call for my mother!"

He summoned his house elves and waited until his mother came to the room.

"What's all this?" Narcissa asked, staring at the pale Muggle-born on the guest bed. "Is that Granger? Potter's best friend?"

"She fainted," Draco said. "We were just talking, and then out of nowhere she started barfing her guts out and fainted."

Narcissa frowned, but Astoria spoke first. "Why didn't you take her to St Mungo's, Draco? She might need help."

"And risk them seeing me with a mudblood?" Draco sneered. "Use your head."

"Draco!" Narcissa snapped. "Take your fiancé and yourself to the sitting room while I see what's wrong with Miss Granger."

Draco nodded and grabbed Astoria's arm as they left his mother and the house elves to do what they could.

"Give me a cold wet cloth, please," Narcissa asked Binky the house elf.

Binky nodded and conjured a bowl filled with water and a small rag. Narcissa squeezed the water out of the rag and folded it up to place it on Hermione's forehead.

Hermione began to whimper, but her eyes were still closed.

"Binky please perform the basics on Miss Granger and tell me what has caused the sickness," Narcissa sighed.

While the house elf was seeing to that, Narcissa continued wiping the Muggle-born's face.

It has been awhile since the war had ended, but Narcissa had always felt grateful towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione. If it wasn't for them, her family and her would probably have been thrown in Azkaban right away. She might have held onto some of her prejudices, but she still respected them for what they had done for her family.

"Lady Malfoy?"

"Yes Binky?" Narcissa asked, looking at the elf.

"Binky knows why the girl is sick."

"Go on, what is it?"

Binky undid the glamor charm Hermione had applied earlier so Narcissa could see for herself. Narcissa gasped as she stared at the young witch's round stomach.

"Call Draco."

Once Binky left, Narcissa reapplied the glamor charm and stared at the girl. How could she have been so irresponsible? Wasn't she supposed to be a bright student?

"Mother?" Draco walked in and glared at Hermione. "So, what's wrong with her?"

Narcissa looked at her son. "Does she have a boyfriend?"

Draco frowned at his mother in confusion. What the hell?

"Is she married?" Narcissa continued, watching Draco's expression.

"No. What does that have to do with anything?" Draco snapped impatiently. He rounded on Hermione and began to shake her, as he shouted, "Oi! Mudblood! Wake up you bloody-"

"Stop it, Draco!" Astoria called out from the door, "She's pregnant!"

Immediately, Draco recoiled and let Hermione go. He stared at Hermione in shock as her eyes began to flutter open.

He whirled around to face Astoria. The expression on his face caused her to take a step back.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Draco asked in a low, harsh whisper, ignoring the whimpers coming from a waking Hermione.

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON TUMBLR WHO IS JUST SO AMAZING ON HELPING ME WITH FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	5. Surprise

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 5**

Astoria glanced at Hermione with uncertainty before looking back to Draco. "It's obvious, isn't it? I mean, look at her."

Draco sneered as he turned to Hermione, who was trying her best not to make eye contact with him. He continued to glare at her as his eyes traveled down from her frightened face to the obvious bump on her midsection.

What the hell?

That was never there...or at least, he thought it was never there. That big fat bump wasn't visible when he was talking to her a few hours ago.

"Is it true, Miss Granger?'' Narcissa asked softly.

"Of course not!" Draco barked. "She just let herself go and gained all that bloody weight. Didn't I tell you, Granger? I knew you were getting fat."

"Draco!" Astoria shouted. "What's wrong with you?"

Draco whirled around to face her and scoffed. "Oh please, don't act as if you care about the mudblood."

Astoria stared at her fiancé for a few moments before shaking her head with disgust. Sure, she may have never cared for the muggle-born that much, but she was a woman.

And no matter what her blood status was, Hermione was a woman, as well.

Shooting Draco another glare, Astoria quickly rushed towards Hermione, saying, "She's pregnant, Draco. You never want to upset a pregnant lady."

"I don't see any pregnant lady," Draco smirked. "All I see is a whale."

"Stop it, both of you," Narcissa snapped, interrupting. "Now, you will both accompany Miss Granger while I go owl a healer to come by for a quick check up."

Hermione watched with despair as lady of the house left. She could feel Astoria's soft hands trying to right her bushy hair and comfort her. Why was she being so nice?

"Tell Astoria you're not pregnant, Granger," Draco snapped, taking a threatening step closer to her.

Hermione, still completely frightened and confused, frantically shook her head. She just wanted to leave! Why wouldn't they let her go back home?

"Well?" that sharp voice of his was piercing through her head.

"Please-"

"Please what, mudblood?" Draco sneered. "Oh look, Grangers already begging-"

"Stop it," Astoria said harshly, helping Hermione stand up. "Make yourself useful and help me walk her to the guest room."

"What?" Hermione and Draco asked simultaneously.

"No!" Hermione continued on, ignoring Draco's complaints. "Really, I'm okay! Just let me owl my friend Ginny and she can come get me-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Astoria," Draco scoffed, rudely interrupting her. "We don't need this filth to contaminate the air in manor."

Hermione wanted nothing more than to snatch her hand away from Astoria's grip so she could throttle him.

Her patience with Draco was seriously running thin and, thanks to her hormones, she was about to lose it.

After a few more minutes, Draco had had enough. Without warning, he grabbed Hermione's arms roughly and slapped Astoria's hands away from her.

Ignoring Hermione's cries, he tightened his grip on her arm as he continued to drag her towards an empty guest room, where he pushed her inside, not caring that she tripped on her own foot and fell.

After entering the room himself, his eyes still trained on her, he took out his wand and muttered a silencing spell and locked the doors. "Tell me the truth, mudblood."

The murderous look on his face frightened Hermione. But she would be damn if she showed him any fear. So she stood up and glared back at him.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" she spat back.

His eyes quickly glanced back down at her stomach and he nodded towards her bump. "What the fuck is that?"

Hermione hesitated. Her first instinct was to deny everything, but when she thought about it...he really did have the right to know. No matter how cruel he was.

She lifted her chin bravely. "You're lovely wife is correct, Malfoy."

Draco took a threatening step closer to her. "She's not my wife yet, Granger. And don't lie to me. Tell me the bloody truth!"

Hermione fought the urge to groan in annoyance. "I am telling the truth, Malfoy! I'M PREGNANT!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Draco roared back, lunging towards her until their faces were merely an inch apart. "YOU'RE FUCKING LYING!"

Hermione gasped and backed away, her face finally showing the hurt she felt.

But Draco wouldn't have it, and he continued to follow her. "You're a lying piece of filth, aren't you Granger? Just trying to gain attention, huh?"

Hermione could feel tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Bloody hell, Malfoy! I'm telling you the truth! I'm pregnant!"

The look on her face should have been enough to make him believe her. But for some reason, he just didn't want to believe it. How could she be pregnant?

"When Granger?" Draco whispered. "Tell me how long you've been...like this?"

Hermione's gaze dropped down to the floor. She didn't want to look him in the eye, fearing what she'd see when she told him the truth. "I don't remember, honestly. I just-"

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Draco snapped. "It's a simple question!"

It felt as if a bludger was ricocheting around inside her head. She couldn't even think straight. Damn it, she just wanted to go home!

"I don't know!" Hermione cried out. "I mean, okay the last time I saw the healer he said five weeks pregnant - Why does it matter to you?"

Draco continued to sneer at her. "I need to know if I-"

"You want to know if you're the father of the baby?" Hermione interrupted. "Well guess what, Malfoy?"

He raised an eyebrow disinterestedly, but his knuckles were tightening into a fistl.

"You were the only person I've ever slept with," she blurted out, her eyes glaring into his. "So, you do the math."

.

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Draco sucked in a sharp breath.

No.

She was lying. The filthy Mudblood was lying. There was no way he'd-"

"You're lying," he snarled, charging towards her.

Hermione's eyes widened as she rushed to the other side of the room. She lifted her arms in front of her for protection as she cried out, "I'm telling you, I'm not! Give me a truth serum if you have to!"

Her back slammed against the wall. Fuck, why must he always feel the need to push her?

It felt as if her breath was knocked out of her lungs, while she felt his fingers digging through her shoulders. Her vision was starting to darken as she saw his hand rising up again. Her eyes immediately closed as she prepared for a blow, but it never came.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Hermione's eyes popped open as she felt Draco's rigid body fall against her. Behind him, Astoria, Narcissa, and a man who was dressed in Healer's robes had come bursting through the door.

Before they could get to Hermione, her vision went completely black as she fell into unconsciousness.

.

.

"That was a very cruel thing, Draco Malfoy."

"Mother, come on-"

"Don't! Your father and I never taught you to-"

As Hermione started to regain consciousness, her hearing began to sharpen. She could hear Draco and Narcissa whispering nearby so she continued to feign sleep.

"Bloody hell, mother. She's just Granger-"

"Yes, she's Granger, and she helped us, Draco."

"Oh please. Father's still in Azkaban-"

"And if it wasn't for Potter, Weasley, and this Granger girl, he would have gotten the kiss."

There was a silence then that left Hermione straining her ears.

"Now, I'm going to go help Astoria in kitchen. Remember what the healers said."

Hermione could hear Narcissa's footsteps leaving the room and the door closing. Damn, why did she have to leave her alone with him?

"I know you're awake, Granger," Draco sighed. "So you can stop pretending now."

Feeling foolish, she opened her eyes and saw him sitting on a chair beside her bed. "What happened?"

Draco rolled his eyes before he continued. "Listen Granger, turns out you weren't lying after all. You are with child."

Very clever, Malfoy, Hermione fought the urge to retort.

"The healer confirmed it," Draco continued on. "He also pulled me aside and told me that based on your story about me being the only bloke you fucked, I'm the father."

"You are," Hermione said.

"Well, I don't believe your story, Granger," Draco snapped. "I know for a fact you can be a very good liar. You're probably even clever enough to outsmart a truth serum! That's why I'm not even going to bother giving it to you."

Hermione gasped, "But I'm telling you the truth! I've only been with you, Malfoy! I've never even been with Ron! When are you going to just accept it and be responsible?"

Draco glanced at her up and down with his lips curled up in an expression of disgust.

"You listen to me and you listen good, Granger. Even if I am the father-which I'm sure I'm not-I am not going to father a filthy half-blood, you understand me?"

Hermione gawked at him, "Excuse-"

"You are going to get rid of that thing inside you-"

"No!" Hermione shouted. "First you take away my innocence and now you want to take away the only good that came out of it?"

She wanted to throw a fit and punch him in the face, but she knew her temper and blood pressure would just upset the living being inside her, so she tried her best to remain calm.

"I am not going to be held responsible for that thing, mudblood!" Draco whispered harshly, his face so close to her that she could feel his hot breath caressing her face.

"Then you won't have to be!" Hermione cried out. "You can just let me go and-"

Draco barked a laugh, "You think my mother won't know about that thing being born?

It wasn't until she felt something moist trailing down her cheeks that she realized she was crying. But she didn't care, not anymore.

"Malfoy, please," Hermione whimpered. "You won't ever have to see me again, I promise. Just tell your mother to let me leave."

"Don't be ridiculous, Miss Granger."

They both whirled around to see Narcissa standing by the doorway.

"Please," Hermione cried. "Ginny must be worried sick-"

"I owled her," Narcissa sighed softly, walking towards her with a plate of food. "You must be famished."

Hermione shook her head. "Thanks, but I-"

"I believe what the Healer said, Miss Granger," Narcissa interrupted. She shot her son a look before turning back to Hermione. "You will stay here until the baby is born."

There was a loud groaning sound, followed by a chair being violently knocked over as Draco left the room.

Narcissa rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't mind him. I believe you when you say that he's the father. Knowing my son's history, it's not hard to believe. I was hoping his betrothal to Astoria would open his eyes."

Hermione snorted but remained silent.

The older woman ignored her and continued on. "But you have to know that he's a very stubborn man. He might believe he's the father, but he won't accept it."

"So he's in denial," Hermione sighed.

"Yes," Narcissa nodded and then added, "Astoria doesn't know a thing."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"I think when the time is right, you and Draco need to talk to her." Narcissa shrugged. "Hopefully you two can overcome your differences to make it happen. Possibly before the wedding?"

Hermione laughed harshly, "Malfoy and I? Please."

Narcissa studied the muggle-born witch and smiled. "Get to know my son, Miss Granger. He's not all bad."

.

.

Filthy lying mudblood.

Draco grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and viciously dug his teeth into the sweet fruit before ripping a piece off to chew.

"Malfoy?"

He turned around and scoffed. "What do you want now, Granger?"

Hermione bit her lip nervously and fiddled with her sleeves. "Your mother thought you and I should...talk."

Draco smirked, settling himself on the nearest couch. "Talk? About what?"

"You know what," Hermione said. "Narcissa said that Astoria doesn't know about this. I think we should talk about how we might tell her. After all, this happened because of our mistake-"

"Our mistake?" Draco laughed harshly. "If I'm not mistaken, mudblood, you wanted to fuck me as much as I wanted you. I think you mean it was your mistake for even believing me in the first place."

Hermione closed her mouth in defeat and took a step away from him. What could she say to that? He was right. Damn, it was all her fault. Why did she have to be gullible and believe that he would change?

Draco noticed her behavior and smirked. "What? Finally realized that I was right?"

"But this is still your baby-"

"Don't," Draco spat darkly, standing up and striding towards her. "I don't give a damn about you or that thing inside of you, understand, mudblood?"

Hermione's eyes widen. Great, this again.

"Now you may have won my mother's trust, but you certainly don't have any of mine," Draco growled. "We are not going to tell Astoria anything because I am not going to be part of that thing's life, you understand?"

"But your mother-"

"To hell what my mother says!" Draco barked angrily. "I have no choice but to let you stay here, but once that thing is out of your system, I want you gone!"

Hermione let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

Draco continued, "You're filthy and I still hate you. I only shagged you because I was curious, remember? Now that I've had my fill, you expect me to stay just because you and I created a monster?"

"You're the monster! Just like your Death Eater father!" Hermione cried out, tears falling from her eyes. She blamed the hormones.

_SMACK!_

Hermione's face snapped to the side. Merlin, did he-did he just-she could already feel the stinging in her cheek.

"That was for the last time, mudblood," Draco smirked. "Now how come every time you and I talk, it always has to end with physical contact?"

Hermione didn't say anything, only rubbed her cheek to ease the sting.

"Now leave," Draco said coldly. "You're not wanted here."

"Draco?"

They both turned around to see Astoria by the doorway. Her eyes filled with confusion as she looked back and forth between them. But when she saw a tear fall from Hermione's eyes, she gasped and quickly rushed towards her.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" She asked softly. "Is it the baby?"

Draco scoffed. "So your both on a first name basis now, is that right? Don't waste your time on the mudblood."

But Astoria ignored him, "What is it?"

Hermione didn't want to cause any more trouble. What else could she say? If she said anything more, Draco would just end up trying to hurt her and the baby, right? And poor Astoria would be hurt to know that her husband-to-be was to father a half-blood.

No. It was best to just leave everything alone.

So she just shook her head frantically and forced a small smile. "I'm fine, Astoria. Just the hormones, is all."

Astoria's face brightened. "You must be happy to have a child, Hermione. Who is the father?"

From the corner of her eye she saw Draco stiffen. "I rather not say."

Astoria frowned. "But why? Surely we must call him so-"

"It's Ron's," Hermione said, blurting out the first name that popped into her head. "But he doesn't know yet...so please, don't tell him."

She'd eventually have to tell Ron what she told Astoria. Might as well tell him as soon as possible.

Astoria nodded, "Well I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise for him. You should stay here until you feel all better, alright? That way Weasley won't see you and ruin the surprise!"

"This is ridiculous," Draco interrupted them, sneering.

"Actually that's why I have to leave now," Hermione lied. "I want to go home so I can tell Ron the news."

"Splendid idea, Granger!" Draco falsely cheered. He grabbed her arm and lead her towards the floo network. Once they were far away from Astoria, he dropped his voice so only she could hear him. "I don't ever want to see or hear about you or that filthy thing again, got it mudblood?"

"Perfect," Hermione spat back.

Finally! Something they can agree on.

"Get out of my life." He pushed her roughly inside the fireplace, took a fistful of powder in hand, and shouted, "The Burrow!"

He dropped the powder and watched as the green flames engulfed Hermione. He smirked; if only those were actual flames that could harm her. Merlin, how he wished he would never have to deal with her again.

.

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><p>.<p>

"You WHAT?"

"I know!" Hermione cried out in a hurry. "I'm sorry, Ron! I panicked! I told them you were the father and I-bloody hell, Ron, I'm sorry!"

Ron stared at Harry and Ginny with his eyes wide. They both gaped at him with the same shocked expressions, neither of them knowing what to say. Ron shook his head and looked back at his crying best friend.

Why was she freaking out? Yes, it was wrong for her to do, but that didn't mean he couldn't help her!

"Hermione, it's okay," Ron sighed, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame. "It's alright. It's okay. I'll be very happy to help raise your child. You know that."

Hermione hiccuped and looked up at her friend. "I know, but I'm still sorry. Now people are going to think that you're the father and-"

"Why are you making it sound as if I think it's a bad thing?" Ron asked, feeling a little hurt.

"You know he fancied you for a while, Hermione," Harry added. "Ron would do anything to help you. Not to mention Ginny and I."

Hermione wiped her nose and cleared her throat, "Thanks Harry. I just don't want to be a burden-"

"Oh be quiet," Ginny hushed her. "We're like family. Just make sure to keep Draco Malfoy away from us."

"Keep him away from Hermione, more importantly," Ron said darkly, his arms tightening around her. "I don't want him to hurt you again."

Ginny and Harry nodded in agreement as they continued to comfort Hermione.

Harry wiped a tear away from his best friend's cheek and frowned when he noticed her wincing. "Are you okay, Hermione?"

She turned away and nodded. "Yeah! Perfect now, thank you."

But Harry continued to frown as he forced her to face him. "Look at me...Merlin, is that-is that a bruise?"

Hermione stiffened and broke away from Ron's comforting embrace. She absently touched her cheek and shook her head. "Don't be silly, Harry-"

"It is!" Ron growled. "What did he do Hermione?"

Hermione wanted to shout out the truth, but she honestly didn't want to cause any more trouble! Why wouldn't they just let it go? As long as Draco stayed away from her, then everything would be okay, right?

"Hermione," Ginny gasped quietly, understanding flooding through her head. "Oh my-"

"I'm going to kill him," Harry spat, grabbing his wand to apparate.

"No!" Hermione cried out. "Please-"

"I'll go with you," Ron said, blinded with rage.

Ginny rushed to Hermione and held her. "Be careful you two!"

The sound of their leaving scared Hermione. "Ginny! Let me go! They're going to hurt him!"

Ginny gawked at her friend. Was this witch crazy?

"Hermione, he hurt you!" She took out her wand and pointed it at her. "You need to calm down, Hermione." She muttered a spell and watched as Hermione was soothed into a calm state.

"It's for the best, Hermione," Ginny sighed. "He deserves everything he's going to get."

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON TUMBLR WHO IS JUST SO AMAZING ON HELPING ME WITH FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

****i know Hermione is seems like a weak bitch, but bare with me! she's not going to stay that way of course lol you know being pregnant causes your attitude and hormones to go ape shit haha but its going to all come together in the story!****

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
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	6. Clueless

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 6**

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Merlin, what was happening?

Draco sighed heavily as he carried his weight towards the window. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat, letting the cool wind caress his now sweaty face.

This couldn't be happening. The Mudblood couldn't be pregnant with his child? There was no way he could bring a half-blood child into this family - into this horrible world. He just wasn't ready...

"DRACO!"

He whirled around in time to see his door burst open, revealing a stricken-looking Astoria and...wait, what the fuck?

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley?

The weasel looked around the room before spotting Draco, his eyes narrowing to slits as he charged towards Draco. Luckily, Harry grabbed Ron by the back of his shirt, preventing him from attacking.

"Ron, calm down-"

"NO, HARRY!"

"Stop it, please!" Astoria cried. "Tell me what's happening, I don't-"

Ron turned around and glared at her. "Don't tell me you don't know what's happened, Greengrass?"

Astoria frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ron let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head as he turned back to Draco. "Unbelievable."

"What your problem, Weasel?" Draco snarled. "Lost your way?"

Without warning, Ron lunged towards Draco. The moment he felt skin under his fingers, Ron used his nails to pierce Draco's skin. Ignoring Draco's cries, Ron then balled his hand into a fist, which he then slammed into his Draco's face, not caring about the gruesome crack he heard.

"Take that, Malfoy!" Ron roared. "That's for Hermione!"

"Stop it! PLEASE!" Draco could hear his mother's voice cry out. "Where my wand, Astoria? Stop it! Mr. Weasley, don't! Please, Potter sto - Give me my WAND!"

For some reason, his mother's panicked cries scared him.

Draco's eyes widened as he saw Ron's fist coming towards his face again. He grunted in pain as he felt several more strikes to his ribs and face.

"Stop," Draco whispered weakly, feeling numb and tired. "Weasley-"

"Ron, I think that's enough," Harry sighed, his energy draining from him. "We can't kill him, you know."

"Just one more, Harry," Ron growled, giving Draco another painful kick.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!"

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Hermione gasped at the scene before her.

She just couldn't _believe_that her two best friends would stoop so low as to team up on Draco. Yes, of course the damn ferret deserved it, but that didn't mean Harry and Ron should lower themselves to his level.

"Harry! Ron!" she groaned, staring at her two best friends now frozen in place. She let out an annoyed sigh, calming her nerves. "I'm going to undo the spell, alright? And when I do, I expect all of you to listen to me - Yes, Malfoy, that includes even you! Understand?"

By the look in their eyes, she could tell they were pissed.

Muttering the spell to release them, she watched as they groaned and glared at each other before turning back to Hermione.

"What the fuck was that for!" Ron shouted. "Hermione-"

"Ronald Weasley, you should know better!" Hermione growled. "Merlin knows I really appreciate you and Harry standing up for me, but please, I don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"To us or to Malfoy?" Ron spat, nodding towards Draco.

Astoria chose that moment to rush towards the blond and try to help him up. "Draco, are you alright?"

He glared at the woman and scoffed, "Brilliant."

''What's happening here?" Astoria asked, letting Draco lean against her. "What's going on, Hermione?"

Hermione gave her a pitying look. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be sorry for him, Hermione!" Harry shouted. "You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"Harry stop it!" Hermione snapped. "I mean it! This is between Malfoy and I! No! Don't even say anything, you two!"

Harry's jaw clenched in defeat when Hermione shushed him. He got up and roughly helped Ron to stand as they both glared at Draco.

"What's going on?" Astoria asked again, nervously.

Hermione sighed. "I-"

"It's nothing," Draco interrupted, shooting Hermione a warning look. "Really, Astoria. It was all a big misunderstanding. It's nothing, I promise you."

Ron laughed, "Oh, please." He strode towards Hermione and pointed at the weak bruise forming on her face. "You think this is nothing?"

"Ron," Hermione whispered weakly, lowering his face so that her hair covered her cheeks.

Astoria frowned. "I don't understand."

Hermione bit her bottom lip as she looked up. Astoria had the right to know, didn't she? It would be unfair to hide everything.

"Tell her, Hermione," Harry said softly, coming to her side and wrapping a comforting arm around her. "Tell her what Malfoy did."

Draco scoffed, "Don't be-"

"Silencio!" Harry snapped, keeping his wand on Draco. "Well, go on Hermione."

Ignoring Draco's warnings, Hermione nodded. "We got into an argument and things started to get out of control. He was shouting, I was shouting, it was just a mess. And um...next thing I knew, he hit me."

Silence.

Finally, Hermione thought. Oh Merlin, it felt so good to let that out.

Astoria's breathing was getting heavier and heavier by the second. She was clutching onto Draco tightly as he stared at Hermione, her jaw agape.

"Will someone say something?" Hermione whispered, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Astoria blinked and let go of Draco. "What? I don't-what?" She whirled around to face her fiancè and whispered, "Draco, is it true? Did you really? Tell me!"

Noticing that the silencing spell had been lifted, Draco stared at the floor stubbornly. "Astoria, you're going to believe them over your future husband?"

"Don't listen to him!" Ron shouted, charging towards him, stopping only when Harry grabbed his arm.

Astoria shook her head, her eyes still set on Draco. "Did you hit her, Draco?"

Draco shook his head. "Believe me, love. Why would I even waste my energy on a mudblood?"

"Stop it," Astoria said harshly. "I don't ever want you to go near her again, understand?"

Draco scoffed in disbelief. "Don't tell me you believe them!"

Astoria hesitated. "I don't know who to believe, Draco."

"Just stay away from her alright?" Ron growled, giving Draco a dangerous look.

"Fuck off, Weasel," Draco snarled back, wincing as he felt the pain of his broken nose.

"Maybe you should go, Hermione," Astoria said softly. "Too much stress is not good for you. Especially in your condition."

Hermione gave her a small smile and nodded. "You're right."

Ron and Harry was instantly by her side, apparating with her out of the Manor. Once they were gone, Astoria rounded back on Draco.

"Now, what really happened?" she asked, using her wand to heal his nose.

"Ouch!" Draco growled, wincing and lightly touching the freshly-healed skin. "You know Granger has a tendency to be melodramatic, Astoria. Plus she's pregnant."

"Yes, she is," Astoria snapped. "You shouldn't have messed with her-"

"Bloody hell," Draco interrupted with a sigh. "I meant that her hormones are just messing with her. She can be fine one minute and then turn completely mad in the next!"

Astoria sighed, feeling a headache forming. "Just please stop fighting with her, alright? We have more issues to deal with; like planning our wedding!"

"How can I forget with you always reminding me?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Let's go. The mudblood kept my mother out when she apparated here. Stupid filth."

Astoria fought the urge to hit him.

If he really hated Hermione Granger, then why did he keep mentioning her and getting into trouble with her?

.

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><p>.<p>

_**A few weeks later...**_

Feeling her feet starting to ache in protest, Hermione found a nearby bench and sat down. Her stomach was already protruding and it was starting to cause her some difficulty. She could barely see her own feet for Merlin's sake!

"Hi!"

Startled, Hermione looked up to see a little girl with dark skin smiling at her.

"Hello," Hermione responded politely.

"You're pretty. What's your name?" The little girl climbed on the bench and sat beside Hermione. "My name is Anne."

Hermione smiled. "Why hello, Anne. My name is Hermione."

Anne grinned. "Pretty!"

Hermione couldn't help but blush. It had been a while since someone had complimented her. She couldn't help but feel flattered that a little girl thought she was pretty. "Thank you, Anne. You're pretty, too."

"Anne! Come on Anne, where are you?"

Anne turned towards the person calling for her and waved enthusiastically. "Over here Blaise! I'm right here!"

Hermione gasped.

Wait, Blaise? As in Blaise Zabini?

Sure enough, one of the former infamous members of Slytherin house was rushing towards them. Once his eyes landed on little Anne, he let out a groan.

"Honestly, Anne. Don't walk away like that without telling me where you're going!" Blaise snapped. "Your mother would have my head if I didn't return you home."

Anne giggled and nodded towards Hermione. "Look, Blaise, I made a new friend!"

Blaise glanced at Hermione and smiled. "Sorry my little cousin bothered you, Miss."

"It's no trouble at all," Hermione murmured back, hoping he wouldn't recognize her.

Blaise frowned at the woman in front of him. She looked oddly familiar...but from where?

"Her name is Hermione!" Anne exclaimed, poking the woman's arm. "She's pretty, don't you think?"

Blaise nodded, but his mind was busy elsewhere. Hermione...that name sounded so familiar. He tried to rack his memories to see if he remembered anyone named Hermione. Hermione... smart... bushy hair...

His eyes widened with sudden recognition.

"Hermione?" Blaise asked, stepping towards her. "Hermione Granger?"

Damn. He remembered.

She sighed and forced a smile as she fully turned to face him. "Hello, Blaise Zabini. Long time, no see."

Blaise's gaze dropped down to her stomach before going immediately back to her face. "Oh, er...congratulations are in order, I see?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip before responding, "Thanks."

"Who are you here with?"

She shook her head, "Nobody."

Anne gasped excitedly. "Can you come to the shop then? I haven't had someone to play with in a long time!"

"Anne, my dear, sweet, annoying, little cousin," Blaise sighed, "I think she has other things to do. Don't you, Granger?"

Hermione shook her head, laughing. "No, it's no trouble really. I would be happy to play with you, Anne."

"Yay!" Anne squealed, making both of the young adults wince.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"So tell me," Blaise said, "How is it that I never read anything about you getting married or engaged?"

Hermione suddenly dropped the doll she was holding from her hand and cleared her throat as she bent down to pick it up. "That's because I'm not."

Blaise looked taken aback. "Well, well, well. Miss Know-It-All, Gryffindor princess got herself knocked up before marriage? Who's the father?"

"It's none of your business," Hermione snapped, roughly brushing the doll's hair with a plastic comb.

"Don't be rude, Granger," Blaise scoffed. "I'm just trying to make conversation here."

"Well don't," she snapped again, feeling angry.

Blaise lifted both of his hands and backed away. "Geeze, Granger. No need to get your knickers in a twist."

"Blaise? Hermione?"

Blaise's whole demeanor changed at the sound of that voice. However, he failed to notice when Hermione stiffened beside him.

He whirled around and grinned, "Astoria! What brings you here back to my shop?"

Astoria grinned back, "I was actually on my way to order a cake. I thought I would stop by here, is all. To see good old friends."

Blaise smirked, "Right. Good old friends."

Astoria then noticed Hermione talking to Blaise's cousin. "What's she doing here?"

Blaise glanced at Hermione before turning back to Astoria. "Oh, Anne met her in the park. She invited her over to play."

"How sweet," Astoria smiled. "Hello, Hermione. How are you?"

Hermione wanted to disappear. Right when she was having a good time, Astoria had to show up and remind her of stupid Draco Malfoy. However, she turned around to face Astoria, a fake smile glued to her face.

"I'm doing well, Astoria, thank you. And you?"

Astoria beamed when she saw Hermione's extended abdomen. "Merlin, look at you! You're getting bigger!"

Hermione scowled.

"No!" Astoria laughed. "I don't mean it like that...I mean your baby."

"Speaking of babies," Blaise started, "Granger was about to tell me who the father is."

"What?" Hermione snapped. "No, I was not!"

"It's Ron, of course." Astoria scoffed at the man's lack of information.

"Ron?" Blaise frowned. "Ron Weasley? I didn't know you two were still together."

Blaise could have sworn he saw the red head with some random girl a few days ago in a fancy restaurant-fancy for a Weasley, at least-having a really good time. But he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Congratulations," he said, instead.

Hermione gave him a stiff nod. "Thanks."

The whole time Hermione and Astoria conversed, simultaneously playing with Anne, Blaise was still in deep thought over Ron Weasley. If they were together like Hermione said they were, then why had he seen Ron with another girl the other day?

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Meanwhile...

"I had a really great time, Hermione," Ron grinned boyishly, shoving his hand inside his pockets.

Hermione smirked knowingly. "I'm sure you did, Ronald. Did you ask her for another date?"

"No!" Ron groaned. "Damn it, I forgot! Should I call her now or wait or-"

"Why do I get the feeling you never go on dates?" Hermione laughed, watching Ron turn red.

"Because he doesn't," Ginny grinned. "He's only dated you, that's it. Honestly Ron, this was your third date with her, wasn't it? Just ask her for another and make it official!"

"Official?" Ron asked, confused. "Make what official?"

Ginny rolled her eyes impatiently, "You're hopeless."

"Officially ask her out as your girlfriend, silly," Hermione smiled, playfully punching Ron on the shoulder.

"Fine, fine," Ron groaned. "I'll ask her if she wants to have dinner with me on Friday."

Before the girls could reply, he rushed to his bedroom and prepared his owl.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione placed her hand on the bookshelves and let her fingers glide across the books. She stopped on a random book and grabbed it. She eagerly opened it, closing her eyes in comfort as the smell of fresh pages hit her nostrils.

Mmm, it smelled so divine and homey. The scent brought her back to Hogwarts, where her only comfort, besides the library, had been between the pages and the words that brought pictures to her mind of the outside world.

When times were harsh, like when Malfoy was taunting her because of her blood, she remembered running to the library to fill her mind with something other than his vicious words.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

Hermione stiffened. It seemed as if the Fates just loved to play games with her, didn't they?

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione sighed, not even bothering to look at him.

Draco let out a dry laugh. "Well, I wanted some peace and quiet to clear my mind, which is why I came here. But, of course, surprise surprise, you're here, as well."

"Fine," Hermione snapped, gently closing her book as she stood up. "I was about to leave anyway."

"Good," he retorted back, making sure his shoulder bumped hers roughly.

She stumbled, but quickly caught herself. "So mature."

"I know. Now fuck off, mudblood," Draco smirked, taking the comfortable spot Hermione had just vacated.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Hermione rolled her eyes and walked towards the witch behind the counter to pay for her book.

"Hello, dear," the older witch smiled. "This all for you?"

"Yes, please," Hermione smiled back. Her eye caught a chocolate frog on a shelf nearby and she nodded towards it. "Throw in a chocolate frog, too, please? I'm craving something sweet right now."

The witch grinned knowingly and placed the chocolate on the counter along with the book. "Two Galleons, eight Sickles, and five Knuts, Dearie."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Oh, wow. That much?"

She flipped the book around to check the price. Sure enough, the book was rather costly. She took out her wallet and counted the money she had. She sighed, looking at the older witch.

"How much would it be without the chocolate frog?"

"One Galleon, 15 Sickles, and two Knuts."

Hermione inwardly groaned. She couldn't even afford the book at the moment. It was humiliating to not have enough money to buy two simple things.

"Nevermind," she murmured with a sigh as she shoved her wallet back inside her bag. "I'll come back tomorrow."

The witch gave her a sad smile, "Alright, dear. See you soon."

Hermione was about to turn around, but felt a strong hand grab her arm.

"Wait."

She turned around in confusion and gasped, seeing Draco shaking his head at her.

"You're unbelievable, Granger," he sighed heavily, releasing his hold.

Hermione gawked at him, "Excuse me?"

Rudely ignoring her, he turned to the witch behind the counter. ''How much was the book and the candy?"

"What?" Hermione frowned.

"Shut up, Granger. Was I talking to you? No," Draco said rudely before turning back to the older witch. "How much?"

"It was two Galleons and eight Sickles," The witch said. "I'll drop the Knuts."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "That's it?"

He opened his robe and grabbed his wallet from inside of a hidden pocket.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

As usual, he ignored her as he took out some currency and placed it on the counter. "There you go. Keep the change."

"What a nice young man," the witch smiled warmly, placing the book and the chocolate inside of a bag and handing it towards him.

"Thank you," Draco smirked.

Hermione wanted to gag.

"What was that?" she snapped, staring at the bag in his hand.

It wasn't fair! She has wanted those things! Draco had just thought it would be hilarious to rub it in her face that he could afford a damn book and a piece of chocolate when she couldn't.

Ferret.

Draco grabbed her arm again, leading her outside where they would be free from nosy people. He took the bag and shoved it into her hands as if the book and candy were poisonous. "Here."

Wait, what? He was giving it to her? But...why?

"I don't understand," Hermione frowned. "Why are you giving me this?"

Draco glared at her, "Do you not want it?"

"I do," she said automatically. "But this is just like last time! I am not going to sleep with you again!"

"As if I want to shag you again," Draco scoffed, turning around to walk away. "Bye, mudblood!"

It was no surprise to her that he continued ignoring her angry cries demanding an an explanation. He simply rolled his eyes, shot her a glare, and apparated away, leaving her even more confused and angry.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO MAEGHAN AKA OCCUPYMALFOYSBED ON TUMBLR WHO IS JUST SO AMAZING ON HELPING ME WITH FIXING THIS CHAPTER UP!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	7. Happy Birthday

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 7**

"Are you out of your bloody mind, Astoria?" Draco snapped, glaring at the girl with distaste.

Astoria gawked at him. "What, for wanting to invite the Potters, the Weasleys, and Granger to your birthday party? This would be a great way to thank them for saving you during the war –"

"Oh shut up already with the past shit, Greengrass. I've already thanked them," Draco spat, "it's starting to piss me off."

"What is wrong with you two?" They turned on their heels to see Narcissa glaring at them both, leaning against the doorframe. "Astoria, that is a splendid idea, dear. I shall get the invitations ready. And Draco, how many times have I told you to keep your temper intact?"

"Mother, how many times do I have to thank them?" Draco complained, throwing himself on the couch with a grunt. "It's as if you both want me to kiss their arse or something."

"Don't be so vulgar, Draco," Narcissa scolded. She turned to Astoria and nodded, "Go and send the invitations, Astoria. I'm sure they would really appreciate it."

Ignoring Draco's glares, Astoria fired a smirk at him as she advanced upstairs.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Wait, what?"

Hermione groaned in annoyance as she felt the throbbing in her head beginning to increase. "Ginny, I really don't like repeating myself."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "But seriously, I don't understand."

"What is it I said that you misunderstood?" Hermione asked incredulously. "I bumped into Malfoy at the bookstore again. We exchanged a few words as usual. I went to purchase a book, but found I couldn't because I'm running low on Galleons at the moment–"

"Then, out of nowhere, he came to your rescue and bought them for you," Ginny interrupted with a smirk.

"He did _not_ come to my rescue!" Hermione hissed.

Ginny grinned. "I was only joking, Hermione."

"Well, that's what happened," Hermione told her, "so there."

"Well, thank you for telling me, Hermione," Ginny said sarcastically. "This happened weeks ago and I'm only hearing about this for the first time now!"

"Sorry," Hermione said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I just felt like sharing it with you now because I still find it weird, that's all."

Ginny nodded, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Now, don't think I'm mad for thinking this, but what if he's… I don't know… changing?"

"Changing?" Hermione laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Okay, maybe he hasn't changed yet," Ginny sighed, "I mean, what if the news of you being pregnant - with his child is finally getting in his head?"

Hermione scoffed. "Ridiculous," she repeated.

TAP TAP TAP

The girls whirled around at the sound and saw an owl perching on the window ledge.

"Whose owl is that?" Hermione asked curiously, getting up from the bed and walking towards the window. "He looks familiar."

"Doesn't that owl belong to the Malfoys, Hermione?" Ginny asked warily, as the owl hooted and flew inside the bedroom. "Merlin, what does that git want now?"

Hermione untied the parchment from the owl's leg and bit her bottom lip nervously.

Ginny was right. What was it now? Hadn't he bothered her enough already? Wasn't he the one who told her to _'get out of his life'_?

"Well, let's see what it says," She replied, unrolling the parchment to glance at its contents. Her eyes widened at the fancy handwriting. "Draco didn't write this, Gin. It's Astoria."

Ginny let a loud groan as Hermione sat beside her. "Great. What does _she_ want?"

Hermione was silent for a minute.

Or two.

Or three.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, concerned. She gently placed a hand on her friend's tense shoulder and turned her slightly. "Is everything okay?"

She watched as Hermione's eyes darted back and forth as she read the letter. A thought popped inside Ginny's head, making her gasp and her eyes widen.

"You don't think – Did Malfoy tell her yet? About… you know." She nodded towards her friend's protruding belly.

Hermione shook her head and took a deep breath. "No. At least, I don't think so."

Ginny frowned. "Then, what?"

Hermione sighed and looked up from the letter. "It's Draco Malfoy's birthday this weekend and she wants us to come."

Ginny's expression dropped along with her jaw. "What the hell?"

"Actually, scratch that," Hermione laughed sarcastically as she glanced back at the letter. "She insists that we go. She won't take no for an answer."

"That's bollocks!" Ginny exclaimed angrily. _How dare they? Does that idiot not know how much pain her fiancé has put her best friend into? Not just pain, but something life changing_!

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend's words. "I'm speechless."

"What's there to be speechless about?" Ginny sighed, "it's quite simple. Don't go. Do you need my brother and Harry to come over to tell you that they agree with me? I'm sure they would."

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head. "It's just that –"

"Wait," Ginny interrupted suddenly.

Hermione looked at her friend and noticed the expression on her face. Ginny was staring at the wall and her eyebrows were furrowed together as if she was deep in thought.

"I think you should go," Ginny murmured.

"What?" Hermione laughed, shaking her head. She tossed the letter on the bed and adjusted herself to become face to face with the redhead. "You just told me I shouldn't go. Now you're taking it back?"

Ginny grabbed her arm and shushed her, a wicked grin on her face.

"I'm serious, think about it! You and that belly of yours – without you charming it, by the way – go to the party and most of the guests will question it. Malfoy will get very uncomfortable, and it would only be a matter of time before he explodes!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Ginny!" Hermione cried out, her hand unconsciously drifting on top of her stomach. It was a gesture Ginny did not miss.

"Trust me," Ginny said softly, smiling. "You must go. Harry, Ron, and I will be there with you. C'mon Hermione, don't you think it's time for everyone to know the truth?"

Hermione studied her, her mind telling her that this wasn't her friend in front of her, but an imposter. "No, Ginny."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Hermione. We're going. In fact, I'm going to go and inform Harry and Ron now."

Hours later, Hermione felt relieved to know that even her male best friends was questioning Ginny's motives.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"What the fuck are _they_ doing here?" Draco growled, his lips brushing against Astoria's ear to give the illusion that they were this so-called perfect couple. His fingers, however, was digging into her side, making her wince with discomfort. "Answer me!"

Astoria flashed a smile at one of their guests and pinched Draco's arm. "Don't you remember, dear? I invited them. Even your mother agreed."

"This is _my_ birthday!" Draco snapped, his patience slipping away. "I was supposed to invite my friends not your fucking charitable –"

"Happy birthday, mate!"

They both glanced up to see Blaise striding towards them with a grin.

"Blaise," Draco said; his voice still rough from their disagreement. "Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure," Blaise grinned. "Although it was Astoria who invited me, technically." He took her right arm and bent down to land a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "So, thank _you_, Astoria."

Astoria blushed. "Draco wanted you to come, but I wrote the invitations. You should really thank him."

Draco made a face. "No thank you, Blaise. I understand you're grateful, so no need to kiss me."

"Feisty husband you're going to have," Blaise teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Astoria, causing her to blush even more.

Draco watched the both of them with an unreadable expression on his face. He hasn't seen Astoria blush and laugh like that since they first started dating, and he hadn't seen Blaise so carefree since Hogwarts.

"Would you look at that," Blaise suddenly murmured, interrupting Draco's thoughts. "What are Potter, Weasley, and Granger doing here?"

Draco glanced at the former Gryffindors. "You can thank Astoria for that," he spat.

Astoria glared at him. "I was just trying to make amends, Draco. Why can't you see that?"

"I hate them," Draco snapped, "why can't you see that? You're insisting we should all hold hands and be friends, like we got fucking rainbows flying out of our arses."

"Don't be so rude, Draco," Blaise snapped back, his playfulness disappearing. "She was just trying to do the right thing. It's probably time you put the past behind you and be civil with them. Turn over a new leaf is what the Muggles say, correct?"

"Speaking of Muggles, here's Hermione Granger," Astoria grinned, waving her hands. "Hermione! Over here!"

Draco let out a stifled groan.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Calm down, Hermione," Ginny whispered as they all headed towards the former Slytherins. "We're here with you."

"I still don't know why I agreed to come here," Hermione hissed angrily, "this is a mistake. Ouch. The baby's kicking which means he or she agrees with me! Ouch, Ginny slow down!"

"Sorry," Ginny whispered softly, "let's go."

"This is awkward," Ron mumbled to Hermione, staring down at his feet. "This is really, really awkward."

"We got it, thanks, Ron," Harry chuckled. "It isn't that bad actually." There were people looking at them in a mixture of shock and distaste, but he continued to flash them a smile. "Feels like old times."

"Look at you!" Astoria squealed, her eyes widening as she stared at Hermione's stomach. "When's the due date again?"

"We went to a healer yesterday and she said probably within a few weeks," Hermione grinned, her hands rubbing her stomach. She could feel the little one kicking again, making her wince in discomfort.

Blaise, Draco, and Astoria noticed the quick expression of pain on her face.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, taking a step closer to her. "Granger, you okay?"

Hermione glanced up, feeling weird about his concern. Nevertheless, she smiled politely. "I'm good, thank you."

"Is it the baby?" Astoria cooed. "I read somewhere that the baby can hear you talking now."

For no reason at all, Hermione's gaze landed on Draco. He was staring at her hard, and his lips were shut tightly shut into a thin line. She could feel the discomfort increasing with his glares and she looked back at Astoria and Blaise.

"Yes, the baby has been hearing me for a while now, actually." Hermione said kindly. She looked back at Draco and cleared her throat. "Happy birthday, Malfoy."

"Yeah, happy birthday," Harry sighed, handing him a present.

Draco lifted an eyebrow as he took the gift. "Thank you."

"I didn't have time to get you anything, so don't expect a gift from me," Ron said bluntly, shrugging.

Hermione fought the urge to giggle.

"No need, Weasley," Draco said curtly. _It's not like you can afford them anyway._

Guests were still staring at the group, presumably wondering why the former enemies were talking together. It wouldn't do him good as a host if he picked a fight with the famous Harry Potter and his sidekicks.

Ron nodded, clearing his throat as he tried to remain civil for Hermione's sake. "Right, well, happy birthday."

Blaise raised an eyebrow as he glanced between him and Hermione. _So she's still with Ron... But didn't I see him with another woman the other day?_

"How are the two of you doing?" He asked suddenly, crossing his arms with a curious expression etched on his face.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks of confusion.

"Good," Ron said slowly, "and yourself?"

"I'm doing rather well, Weasley," Blaise smirked, adding in a sarcastic tone, "Excited for the baby? I mean, not only do you have to take care of your girlfriend, but you have to take care of your baby as well, right?"

Ron frowned at the former Slytherin before looking at Hermione. "Er... What is he talking about?"

Ginny and Harry rolled their eyes the same time. Honestly, this man can be so thick at times.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Blaise accused slowly. "I'm talking about your girlfriend next to you. I mean, she is your one and only girlfriend right?"

Draco cleared his throat. "What is your point, Blaise?"

"Nothing," Blaise replied innocently, "I'm just curious."

"You two are together though, right?" Astoria asked, wanting to clear things up for Blaise. "Hermione, didn't you tell me you're together, and that the baby is Ron's?"

Hermione swallowed hard. "Ri – right. Of course."

Why was it getting warmer? Why were her palms becoming sweaty? For some reason it was getting harder and harder to lie. Especially when all of them were there surrounded with Draco's guests as eye-witnesses.

"I'm sorry, but can you please show me where the restroom is?" She asked breathlessly. She could feel her heart beating faster and her lower back beginning to ache. Merlin, she needed to sit down and get away from this mess.

"You should know, Granger," Draco smirked, reveling in the squirms of her embarrassment. "You've been there before."

Hermione flushed and glared at him before repeating, "Can you please show me your restroom?"

"Stop it," Astoria snapped at him, noticing how Harry, Ron, and Ginny were looking as if they wanted nothing more than to curse him. Now, that wouldn't do. Not in front of their entire guest list, anyway. "Can you show her where it is, Draco?"

Draco rolled his eyes and turned around, not bothering to look back to see if Hermione was following.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Once they were out of earshot, Draco whirled around and snarled, "What the hell are you doing here, Mudblood?"

Hermione stiffened before gawking at him. "We got an invitation, Malfoy –"

"Oh, so if I invited you for another shag, would you come?" Draco laughed harshly. "Great way to ruin my birthday, Granger."

Hermione glared at him. "Fuck you, Malfoy! I didn't even want to be here in the first place! Just show me where the toilet is then I'll leave with my friends!"

"Good!" Draco raged, "I told you that I never wanted to see you again! You and that… _thing_ inside you! Just because I got you a bloody book and some chocolate, you think we can be friends now? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Hermione couldn't reply back. Her chest had been overcome by a squeezing sensation and the pain in her back was doubling. _What the hell?_

Growing impatient, Draco grabbed her arm and ushered her inside the bathroom. "The toilet is in there. Hurry the hell up."

Without waiting for her reply, he closed the door shut and leaned his head against the wall with a groan.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"What's taking them so long?" Harry asked, looking in the direction that Draco and Hermione had gone.

"She's pregnant, guys," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "What do you expect?"

"Let's go check what's going on," Ron sighed, putting his cup down on a table closest to him.

"We'll come with you," Astoria insisted, pulling Blaise with her. "It's almost time for Draco to make his Thank You speech, anyway."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Malfoy?"

"What, Granger?"

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Draco stopped walking and turned around to face her. "Is that a serious question?"

Hermione shot daggers at him before sighing. "I mean, why do you hate me at all? Why? Don't you feel at least something, knowing that it's your baby as well?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Granger."

"No!" Hermione shouted suddenly, surprising Draco. "I'm tired of you treating me like that!"

"Granger, shut the –"

"This is your baby too!" It seemed that the greater the pain in her back, the more her anger poured out of her. Why was her back hurting so much? And why was her –

"I DON'T CARE, MUDBLOOD!" Draco roared, his pale face now painted red in anger.

Hermione's eyes widened with fear and she took a step back. He didn't look like the Draco Malfoy she was used to. This man in front of her reminded her of Draco Malfoy: Death Eater.

It took a few moments before Draco's breathing returned to normal.

"I hate you and your filthy spawn, Granger. Get that inside your head, all right? Even though it's mine by blood, I do not want to be any part of that thing that's contaminating my family line. Do you understand?"

Hermione suddenly felt a sharp tightening pain in her stomach, causing her to gasp. "Merlin –"

"Thank you, Malfoy," a voice said behind them.

They both whirled around in surprise to see Harry, Ron, Blaise, and Astoria staring at them with a shocked expression on their faces. Ginny was the only one looking satisfied.

"You made things simpler than I thought;" Ginny grinned, "now everyone knows the truth."

Hermione stared at her friend. She didn't know whether she should feel relieved that the truth was out, or angry at her friends for walking in at that exact moment.

"Draco?" Astoria gasped breathlessly, her eyes darting between him and Hermione.

Even Blaise was too stunned to say anything. Either that or he wanted to see everything play out.

Draco shook his head before looking back at Hermione. The look he was giving her caused her to take another step back. She could practically feel the hatred washing through her with just his gaze.

Another pain hit her, causing her to groan. "Please –"

"This is all your fault, you filthy –"

"Don't," Ron snarled threateningly.

"Actually, it was my idea," Ginny said, giving him a smirk. "I had a feeling something was going to happen –"

"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted in panic. He rushed towards his friend before her head hit the floor. "Hermione, are you okay?"

"Oh no," Ginny whimpered, noticing something wet running down Hermione's legs. "Oh no, quick! She's going to… Damn it, we're so stupid! Quick! Take her to St Mungo's. Hurry!"

To her surprise, Astoria rushed to help by opening the Floo network. "Wait… Will floo be too dangerous?"

"She can't apparate either!" Blaise panicked, finding his voice. "That's also way too dangerous!"

"What do we do?" Ron cried out, pulling his hair with his hands as he worriedly stared at Hermione.

"Shut up!" Draco shouted, "Everyone shut up! We have no choice!" He hesitated for a second before nodding to himself. He turned around and held out his arms. "Give her to me."

"Like hell," Harry snarled, clutching Hermione tightly to him, "She needs –"

"She needs help now, Potter!" Draco snapped, taking Hermione from him. He turned to Astoria. "Get a Healer quickly and take them to my bedroom!"

"Your bedroom?" Blaise asked, as they all quickly followed him. "Why –"

"It's the closest one!" Draco interrupted impatiently, kicking his door open and rushing towards his bed. Gently, he placed Hermione down on top of the covers.

"Ouch!" Hermione cried out, her eyes tightly shut as she clutched both her stomach and back. "Oh Merlin, it hurts!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Ginny shushed her, pushing Draco aside as she grabbed Hermione's hand, "we're here. We're all here."

Hermione's eyes flew open as a contraction came to an end. "Where's Draco?"

"The ferret is still here unfortunately," Ron sighed before glaring at the blond, "although I'm beginning to wonder why."

Draco ignored him. His eyes were glued to Hermione, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"You don't have to watch, Malfoy," Hermione said breathlessly, after another sharp pain passed, "you don't have to be here and –"

"Stop talking, Granger," Draco snapped, "just stop."

Hermione groaned as another pain came and went, "Ugh! Sometimes I hate being a girl!"

Everyone laughed, except for Draco.

He continued to watch her, his fist clutching the armrest of the chair beside him. Hermione couldn't help but notice how Draco immediately made a move to get up towards her whenever she made a painful sound, before he stopped himself.

"The Healer's here!" Astoria shrieked, bursting into the room with a Healer in tow and a panicked-looking Narcissa behind her.

"Some birthday, right, mate?" Blaise joked, patting Draco's back, trying to lighten the mood.

Draco swallowed hard as he watched the Healer place a few spells on Hermione. "Yeah, some birthday."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO ARE FOLLOWING AND FAVORITING THIS STORY SO FAR! YOU'RE THE BEST!  
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	8. Newborn

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 8**

**.**

Burning heat.

That's all Hermione could feel at that moment as she rested her back against the bed. Right then, it felt as if everything was burning. Her face was drenched with sweat, she had the sensation of what felt like knives stabbing her legs, and someone was pinning her arms down tightly. All she can hear around her was a horrid screech-like sound and people's muffled shouts.

It wasn't until her eyes flew open did she realize the screech was coming from her.

"Hermione! Calm down!"

She snapped her head towards the voice. "Shut up, Ron! You have no idea how much this hurts," she growled when she had caught her breath.

"Hermione, try to relax," Harry said gently as he watched Ginny smooth Hermione's hair in comfort. "Just do as the Healer says; take a deep breath and –"

Hermione interrupted with a scream as another pain shot up her body. Once her breathing calmed again, she glared at her friend. "Don't tell me what to do, Harry Potter!"

"I thought you were casting some spells to make it easier for her?" another voice said quietly to the Healer, who was sweating and red-faced. "Shouldn't it be painless by now?"

_Wait, I recognize that voice... _

"I'm doing that now," the Healer informed them, before muttering a spell. "The previous one was to let me know if there was anything wrong with the baby or Miss Granger."

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" the irritating voice snapped, "she's having the fucking baby!"

"Shut up!" Blaise said frantically, "just shut up, will you?"

"Watch your mouth," Ginny added, glaring at the blond with distaste, "in case you've forgotten, she's having _your _baby as well!"

"Everyone, please," Narcissa sighed, unwilling for the argument to break out, "just stop."

Hermione gritted her teeth as she sat up to look behind her. It took a few seconds for her vision to adjust before she saw who the voice belonged to.

Once she caught sight of the blond hair, Hermione gasped. "Malfoy?"

Draco glared back at her. "What now, Granger? Is giving birth too much for you? Are you stupid as you look–"

"Mr. Malfoy, I think she's ready now," the Healer interrupted sharply before turning to Hermione. "Miss Granger. Are you ready to push?"

Hermione hesitated for a second before turning to her friends. "What's _he_ doing in here?" She nodded towards Draco and snarled.

"Hermione," Astoria, who had been quiet since the Healer arrived, said. "He's the one who carried you to his bedroom –"

"This is his bedroom?" Hermione asked surprisingly, momentarily glancing around the room briefly to distract her from the pain. "So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" Draco snapped. "You should be grateful that –"

"Miss Granger, I need you to push now!" the Healer interrupted loudly, sounding impatient. "The baby is ready to come out!"

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath before pushing.

Merlin, whatever spell the Healer had cast on her felt like a waste of enchantment. She could still feel pain radiating in her lower body. Her heart was accelerating as she put more pressure into pushing and she was gasping with each breath she took.

"Good, good!" the Healer encouraged. "Take a few deep breaths and do it again, Miss Granger."

However, Hermione shook her head and whispered breathlessly, "Leave."

"I'm sorry?" the Healer asked, blinking momentarily.

"Not you!" Hermione snapped, after another push. She nodded towards Draco. "Leave, Malfoy."

"Excuse me?" Draco asked, staring in astonishment at her. "You've got to be –"

"Leave!" Hermione shouted. "You never cared for me or the baby, so why the hell are you here?"

Draco continued to stare at her, but stood in seething silence.

_Who the fuck does she think she is? This is _my _bedroom. _I_ was the one who ordered the Healer to come here! _Draco could feel his patience with the Mudblood slipping away but didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone. Honestly though, who is she to tell him to leave?

Hermione screamed as the pain increased even more. Trying to regain her breathing, she opened her eyes again and rounded at Draco. "Oh my – wait, Draco Malfoy _needs_ to leave, someone kick him out. Please!"

She didn't care that she looked like a demented hag. She was just determined not to let him see the baby. Or her pushing it out.

"Almost there, Miss Granger!" the Healer said. "Please Mr. Malfoy, leave! You're upsetting her and we really don't need any distractions at this point!"

Draco ignored him. His cold gaze was only set on Hermione. "You have no right –"

"I have every right!" Hermione cried out, not caring that Blaise, Astoria, Narcissa, and her friends were in the room as well. _He just doesn't deserve to be here! I refuse to let him see her giving birth since, as he said so himself, he doesn't even care!_

"Ron, get him out of here!" Ginny roared, wincing as Hermione dug her fingers into her hand.

"Hermione; deep breaths," Narcissa reminded her softly.

Draco, however, was flushed with anger.

He ignored Ron's attempts to remove him from the room and strode towards the bed. He leant down until his face was inches from hers. "Listen here, you filthy Mudblood! You do –"

He staggered backwards with a grunt when a sharp pain against his cheek interrupted his speech. The pain increased and starting stinging as he gaped at the woman who gave it to him.

Everyone in the room held their breaths.

"Leave," Hermione repeated. She stared at him defiantly until she saw something flicker in his eyes.

"Fine," Draco said, after a few quiet seconds. He dropped his hand from his cheek, his expression void of any emotion as he gave her one last look. His voice was cold and calm. "Once you've finished, I want you and the bastard to leave and never come back."

"What is the matter with you?" Astoria asked bitterly, staring at the man in horror.

Draco ignored her and continued to glare at Hermione. He couldn't think. All he wanted right now was to hurt her. Fuck that she's having the baby now, how dare she embarrass him? "I mean it this time, Granger. If I see you and that filthy spawn of yours, I will make your life a living hell."

Before Hermione could reply, Draco walked away and left the room, the door slamming behind him. Hermione stared at the door, shocked and – although she hated to admit it – scared. _What if he was serious this time?_

"Push!" the Healer shouted, his concentration set. "Miss Granger, focus!"

Hermione pushed harder and she felt more excruciating pain. It felt like being hit with the Cruciatus curse.

Everyone in the room gathered around as the throbbing pain increased. After many minutes of pushing, screaming, encouragement, and crying, Hermione finally gave birth to a baby boy.

Finally.

"Hermione, he's adorable," Ginny cooed, watching the Healer clean up the infant.

Even Astoria was smiling when she saw the newborn. But Hermione noticed how the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Give him to me," Hermione murmured quietly, her voice scratchy with exhaustion.

"Let me just finish getting him ready for you, Miss Granger," the Healer said, wrapping the crying infant with a blanket. "Here you go."

Hermione was beginning to black out. Even though she was thinking of her new baby boy, her last thought lingered to the look on Draco's face before she had told him to leave. She couldn't help but notice that, behind those threatening words, his voice had seemed to crack as if he was wounded.

Draco Malfoy, hurt?

That was impossible.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"We need to talk."

Draco let out a groan and rolled his eyes at Astoria. "There's nothing to talk about."

Astoria gaped at him. "What do you mean, 'there's nothing to talk about'? We were supposed to get married! But now, you have a baby with –"

"Don't," Draco growled harshly, whirling around to glare at her, "don't you dare finish that sentence, Astoria. That half-blood bastard is not mine."

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Draco Malfoy?"

Astoria and Draco turned around to see a furious Blaise walking towards them. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes again. _What does he want now?_

"How can you say that?" Blaise continued. "Have you forgotten what just happened?"

"And have _you _forgotten the part where the Mudblood kicked me out?" Draco snapped, throwing himself down onto the nearby couch.

"That's because of the way you've been treating her!" Blaise snapped back. "Now that everything is calmer, it would be a good idea for you to go and see your son."

Draco stiffened. He didn't understand why his heart was thudding in such an unnatural way and why his palms were becoming moist with sweat.

"I – I have a – It's a boy?" Draco asked, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.

"Yes," Blaise said, grinning. "It's a boy with blonde hair and grey eyes. Thank Merlin he has his mother's skin complexion and not his father's albino –"

"Stop," Draco whispered.

He didn't want to hear this. Any of this.

Blaise sighed and shook his head. He glanced at Astoria for help, but she shrugged in return. He tutted and turned to Draco again. "Look, all I'm saying is if you want to see your son –"

"Who says I want to see the boy?" Draco interrupted with a scoff. "I told you and Granger, I don't bloody care, all right?"

Blaise stared at him for a while. He couldn't believe this _git_ in front of him. "So, you don't want to be involved with him?"

"No," Draco replied in a bored tone after a few seconds of hesitation.

Blaise shook his head again and looked at Astoria. "Care to join me? I'm going to see if everything is okay in the other room."

Astoria agreed immediately.

Before they closed the door behind them, Draco lifted his head and asked the question that had been burning inside his mouth to get out.

"What's his name? Granger's boy, I mean."

Before Blaise could answer, Astoria beat him to it. "No way," she fumed. "If you don't want to be any part of Hermione's child's life, then you don't get to know his name."

Before Draco could retort, they were already out the door.

_Bitch._

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione's consciousness was slowly coming back to the surface. She could faintly hear murmurs around her and what sounded like a soft cry coming from a baby.

A baby.

She opened her eyes to see Harry, Ron, Ginny, Blaise, and surprisingly, Astoria, talking in whispers as they all watched the infant trying to sleep.

"How is he?" she asked, clearing her throat as she sat up. "Is he okay?"

"He's doing great, Hermione," Ron grinned, "you did really well. I honestly thought you were going to pass out in the middle of it all!"

"You underestimate the strength of a woman, Weasley," Astoria tutted, smiling at Hermione.

Hermione smiled back, but it immediately dropped when she remembered what Astoria must be feeling at that moment. "Astoria, I'm so sorry –"

"We'll talk later," she interrupted kindly. "Right now, let's focus all the attention on you and the baby, okay?"

Hermione, shocked, nodded. "Okay."

"Narcissa has gone to deal with Draco, but she said that you're welcome to stay until you've got your full strength back," Astoria said. "You could stay here for a few weeks, if you'd like."

Hermione planned on leaving much sooner than that.

Tonight, maybe.

Or in a few minutes. Or seconds.

"He's going to grow up to be so handsome, I can tell," Ginny sighed, lovingly stroking the infant's head.

"No doubt he'll have Hermione's compassion and knowledge though," Harry laughed, "Unlike some git we know." He threw a grimace towards Astoria and added, "No offense, Greengrass."

Astoria only rolled her eyes.

"Let me hold him," Hermione pleaded, extending her arms. Once he was placed in her arms, she gently pushed the blanket away from his face and gazed at her baby boy. "Hello there, little one."

The baby seemed to have recognized its mother's voice and touch, because its eyes slowly opened and blinked. His grey eyes were strikingly similar to his fathers.

But none of his gaze held hatred or anger.

He was curious, but obviously very tired. He reached his little fingers up to touch her cheek and made a sound. His fingers traced her cheek and then her nose. He blinked again, as if trying to stay awake while he opened his mouth again and gave another soft sound.

"That's right, I'm your mommy!" Hermione smiled and kissed his fingers as he cooed in response before closing his eyes again.

"Look at him," Harry sighed, "Please stop, little boy, you're going to give Ginny some weird ideas about having a baby of her own."

Ginny smacked him in the arm.

"Anyway, we really should be going," Ron sighed, "someone needs to tell my mother what's been happening."

"So soon?" Hermione asked sadly. If they're leaving, she wants to leave. There's no way she's staying here.

"We'll come back," Ginny assured her, "we'll come back tomorrow."

"Besides, you and the little one need to rest," Harry added. "Speaking of the baby, have you thought of a name yet?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm still deciding."

"Well, tell us the choices!" Ginny exclaimed. "It's not like we're going to laugh."

Hermione blushed. "Um, all right. I'm still deciding between Aidan and Ladon."

Silence, before Blaise interrupted. "I see what you did there." He chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

She blushed even deeper.

"Either one sounds great," Ginny grinned, pulling Harry with her. "But we really need to go now, and I can tell you need more rest."

After trying her best to get them to stay, Hermione sighed in defeat as she bade them all goodbye. She watched them all disappear before turning to Astoria.

"Thank you," she said, feeling awkward. "And I am so sorry –"

"We'll talk tomorrow, Hermione." Astoria smiled. "Just rest."

"Okay," she sighed, settling back down into a comfortable position.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to use your wand," Astoria added before leaving. "I altered the wards so you can use it."

"Thanks," Hermione said again, watching her leave.

Once Astoria disappeared, she turned her head down to gaze at her sleeping newborn. Smiling, she leaned down to kiss his head before resting her head back down on the pillow.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she closed her eyes.

She drifted to sleep right away, failing to notice that another pair of grey eyes had been listening and watching over them the whole time, hidden behind the door. She was already deeply unconscious; she didn't even hear the person entering the bedroom, nor the sensation of a protective spell being cast over them, nor the soft feeling of a new blanket covering them.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione woke up with the sound of her son whimpering. She looked down and saw him opening his eyes before closing them and drifting off to sleep.

This boy is going to give her a hard time when it comes to sleep. She can already tell.

Chuckling, she kissed her son on the head and sighed. "Mommy loves you, darling."

"He's been doing that a lot," someone said softly, "waking up and going back to sleep."

Hermione gasped. "What are you doing here?" she whispered back angrily.

Draco merely shrugged and stood up. He lit the tip of his wand for light as he headed towards the door. Before he left, he turned around and looked at Hermione again.

"Aidan."

She frowned. "What?"

"I like that name... Aidan," Draco shrugged, "means something like 'fiery one', doesn't it?"

Hermione blinked and stared. _Why is he here?_

Draco stared back before sneering. He turned the doorknob and walked away, leaving Hermione in mixed emotions. Angry, because how _dare_ he walk in here without permission? Confusion, because what the hell was that about?

And of course, annoyance.

Because she could have sworn the corner of Draco's lips had curled into a real smile before he had hid it with a sneer.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
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	9. Choices

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 9**

**.**

Hermione watched her little boy with a grin. He kept closing and opening his eyes, making gurgling noises, and humming sweet sounds. She couldn't help but giggle and kiss his soft cheeks.

Aidan.

So, that was what Draco wanted to name him?

Reluctantly, she agreed. She was only okay with it because she liked that name too. _Not_ because Draco Malfoy was the father and that he should have the right to name him. No matter what his ego thought.

"How's he doing?"

Hermione looked up and smiled as Astoria entered their room, balancing a platter of food with her left hand.

"He just woke up. What's that you have there?"

Astoria shrugged, placing the tray on the table next to the bed. "I brought you breakfast. Narcissa wanted the house elves to serve it to you but Draco told us about your house elf freedom act."

Hermione frowned. "What?"

"Well, I mean, he didn't exactly tell us in a nice way, of course." Astoria rolled her eyes. "There was lots of name-calling, and saying things like how you shouldn't have a say because –"

"Because I don't belong in the Wizarding world, I know," Hermione finished for her, wrapping Aidan with a blanket as she gathered him in her arms. Draco was too predictable; she knew exactly what he said in that conversation.

Astoria bit her bottom lip, looking ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I really don't think that way anymore. Not since you helped the Malfoys and –"

"I got it, thanks," Hermione said, cutting her off again.

She didn't mean to sound cold but it was just too early to deal with that conversation right now. Where was Harry, Ron, or even Ginny? They promised her that they would be here today.

The atmosphere in the room was beginning to suffocate Hermione. She could feel Astoria's eyes gazing at her baby and her. Who wouldn't look at him? He was only a few hours old and already he was getting more attention than she had done in her lifetime.

"He looks just like Draco," Astoria murmured, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She lifted her hand to softly caress Aidan's head. "You're very lucky, Hermione. I know you'll be a great mother."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise before smiling. "Um, thank you. Really, Astoria, that mean's a lot."

Another awkward silence.

"I better let Narcissa know you're both awake," Astoria said, clearing her throat to break the silence. She gave Hermione a quick smile before leaving the room.

Once Hermione heard the door click close, she couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. Finally, she was alone. She looked down at Aidan and saw him staring up at her.

Hermione grinned. "Good morning, baby."

Aidan blinked and gurgled. He lifted both of his hands to clench and unclench his fists as his eyes darted from the ceiling to Hermione. He made a small soft cry before yawning and closing his eyes again.

Hermione laughed. "Oh no, don't tell me you're sleepy again?"

Again, Aidan opened his mouth and let out another gurgle. He reopened his tiny grey eyes and stared at his mother again. He scrunched up his face before reaching his hands up towards her and letting them fall, smacking his face by accident.

Hermione laughed, taking his hand. "What are you doing, you silly boy?"

She could have sworn Aidan was giving her the infamous Malfoy glare before he started crying again.

"What's wrong, darling? Are you hungry?" Hermione asked, adjusting his blanket.

Thankfully, whilst she was pregnant, she was smart enough to read about all that she could about breastfeeding. She sat up straighter and pulled down the top of her pajamas to expose one breast. She grabbed another soft blanket and laid it on top of her to cover herself and Aidan.

She lifted the blanket so she could see Aidan searching for milk and winced when she felt his mouth latching onto her breast. Hermione recovered from the discomfort and smiled. Astoria was right, she _was_ lucky. Even though the beginning was hell, the outcome was beautiful.

"What are you doing?" a voice with a bored tone asked from the doorway.

Hermione jerked in surprise, causing Aidan to let go.

He cried again, searching for the source with his mouth, although his eyes remained closed. Hermione adjusted the blanket again to cover her modesty and watched as Aidan kept struggling. Noticing his trouble, she supported her breast so he could have an easy reach. After a few moments, he finally latched on.

Embarrassed at being caught at such an intimate moment, she looked up and glared at the intruder. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco raised an eyebrow as he stepped inside the room, closing the door. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Hermione snapped. "I'm breastfeeding."

"Why can't you just do it magically instead of –'' his face crumpled into a dramatic and disgusted expression ''– the Muggle way?"

"Seriously, what do you want?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice soft so Aidan didn't get frightened.

"Mother got this for you." He tossed a gift-wrapped box towards her. Thankfully, she caught it or else the infant would have taken the blow.

Not that he cared.

Hermione's eyes lit up with childish excitement she opened the present. She grinned, pulling out a new soft baby blanket and a teddy bear.

"Mother bought the blanket. The teddy though, that's magically made. You don't have to worry about him trying to bite it or anything. It's not dangerous like the Muggle ones," Draco said, watching as Hermione stared at the teddy. He cleared his throat before continuing. "The teddy was mine, actually. But mother thought your son might like it."

Without thinking, Hermione fully grinned at him. "Thank you."

He didn't like this unfamiliar feeling he was experiencing.

It was too... warm.

"I didn't give it to you, Mudblood,'' Draco drawled, making sure to keep his voice harsh, "Mother did."

Hermione blinked before nodding. "Right," She said, as she is finishing breastfeeding Aidan. "Well, thank your mother for me when you see her, please."

"Whatever," Draco shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant while crossing his arms and walking towards her.

"Is that all you came here for?" She asked, letting Aidan hold onto the teddy bear as she unwrapped him from the old blanket, replacing it with the new, softer one.

"Can't a father see his own child?" Draco asked, a sly smirk forming on his face.

Hermione stiffened.

What the hell?

_His own child_?

Was he seriously talking about Aidan? She shook her head slowly. How dare he? The anger rushed through her veins so quickly that Hermione had to close her eyes for a second to take a deep breath.

"Excuse me?" she hissed, her voice low as she reopened her eyes to shoot a glare at the man. "How _dare_ you even – you wanted nothing to do with him! How dare you call yourself his _father_?"

"Easy," Draco said casually. "Don't forget, Mudblood, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even have a child."

Hermione wanted to punch his pointed face, "Fuck you, Malfoy. Get the hell out of my room."

"Ah, but technically, this is still _my_ room." Draco grinned maliciously, nodding around them. "So, I think it is _I_ that should tell you – as you so kindly put it – to get the hell out."

"You're a bastard," Hermione whispered, noticing Aidan was falling asleep again.

"Wrong person," Draco smirked, making himself comfortable on the edge of the bed.

Ignoring Draco, she covered her breast and pulled the blanket away from them. She pushed herself back until her backside hit the wall and placed her son beside her. She took another soft blanket and wrapped it around Aidan, making sure none of the cold touched him.

"Why not just perform a warming spell or something?" Draco asked, his lips curling into a sneer. "Why do you have to make things so difficult?"

Hermione continued to ignore him. Sighing, she bent down to kiss Aidan's forehead before murmuring, "I love you, darling," in a soothing voice.

She could hear the blonde's irritated sigh.

Why was he still here?

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Are you ignoring me, Mudblood?" Draco snapped, clearly annoyed.

How dare she ignore him? Here he was, giving her his room, his best Healer, and his hospitality, and this is how she repays him?

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione grumbled, getting up slowly to not disturb the sleeping infant.

"What's his name?" Draco asked, his eyes resting at the baby. _Merlin, he's so tiny._

"That's none of your business," Hermione mumbled, walking to the mirror to cast a glamour charm on herself to disguise her exhaustion and messed hair.

"So, you're using spells to do your hair and face but you refuse to use spells on the baby?" Draco asked accusingly, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

He could hear her letting out a heavy sigh.

"Merlin, you don't get it, do you?" She asked furiously, turning around to face him. "I want to do things by hand when it comes to Aidan. A child needs his mother's –"

"Aidan?" Draco interrupted.

Hermione blinked. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. _Honestly, they call this witch the brightest of her age?_ "You named him Aidan?"

She could feel the heat blooming around her face. "Yes, so what?"

Draco grinned widely, causing Hermione to frown in surprise. Merlin, she had never seen him grin like that before. He almost looked boyish. Maybe even handsome.

No.

He was still a rotten git.

"I'm glad you took my suggestion into consideration," he said, placing his hands on the back of his head before lying down on the bed. His eyes were still glued to hers.

"I didn't," she snapped, glaring at him. "I picked it because I liked that name too."

"Mmm, I'm sure," he smirked, turning to his side so he was fully facing at her.

Hermione continued to glare back and she crossed her arms. She hated the way he was looking at her, but she refused to show how much it was affecting her.

His piercing gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips. He noticed the way she was nervously biting her bottom lip and inwardly groaned. Despite her filthy blood, he wasn't blind. She was an attractive woman. His gaze lingered on her lips until it moved downwards, and he made an appreciative sound in his throat.

Hermione flushed. She knew what he was trying to do, and it was working. It was making her uncomfortable. "What are you staring at, Malfoy?"

"You." His smirk widened. Clearly he was enjoying her discomfort. "Care for another fuck, Granger?"

Hermione gasped and felt the impulse to cast a jinx at him. Draco blocked it with lightening-fast reflexes.

"Careful now, Mudblood," Draco snickered, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"You're a bastard," Hermione repeated. "A complete and utter –"

"Ah, like I said, wrong person," Draco interrupted, getting up walking towards her, "I'm not the bastard, Granger."

Hermione took a step back. It was pretty much useless since her back hit the mirror, trapping her. "Then, who is, Malfoy?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Draco asked softly, although there was a harsh glint in his eye. He nodded towards Aidan, but kept his gaze on her. "Your filthy spawn, Granger, that's who."

Hermione gasped. Before she could say anything else, the door flew open.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Narcissa and Astoria rushed into the room, their eyes wide at the scene before them. Astoria quickly went to Hermione's side as Narcissa started towards Draco.

"Draco Malfoy, how dare you?" Narcissa scolded. She looked over at Aidan and quickly cast a silencing charm. She glared back at Draco. "How dare you call your _own son_ that word when that boy has you as his –"

''Mother, that's enough," Draco interrupted impatiently, stepping away from Hermione to face his mother. "I wasn't joking when I told Astoria and Blaise that I don't want that half-blood –"

"Still?" Hermione asked, her voice low in a whisper. She was in shock... How can he say that now? She hated to admit it, but she thought that he would have felt at _something_ for Aidan! After all he'd done for them? He gave them his own bedroom, and, for Merlin's sake, he even named him!

"Yes, still!" Draco snapped, disturbing her thoughts. "He's still half Muggle –"

"Look at him, Malfoy," Hermione interjected, ignoring Astoria's silent protests and walking towards him, "look at Aidan and tell me you don't feel anything at all! Tell me that you don't care even a little for your own _son."_

Draco merely looked at the sleeping infant with disinterest for a second before turning back to her. His voice was hard and sure. "I do not want him, or you, Granger. Like I said before, I never want to see you and your spawn again."

Hermione didn't understand. Yes, she was mad at him to the point that she didn't want him to see her giving birth, but if he was willing to try and - dare she think it, _change_ - then she would let him see Aidan, even for only a little while.

It would have been the least she could do after he showed a little bit of kindness.

With the look on his face and the way his lips curled into a snarl as he glared at her, challenging her to talk back, it's clear he still doesn't care. Not one bit.

"Malfoy –"

"Fuck, Granger!" Draco shouted angrily, ignoring his mother's sounds of outrage. "Did you think I was joking? That I would change my mind?"

Hermione felt the familiar sting behind her eyes and quickly looked away. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her hurt. He's seen enough.

"All right," she said, her cracked voice betraying her defiance, "if that's what you want."

"Thank Merlin!" Draco rejoiced, "Finally! Yes, that is what I want, Mudblood. I don't need you or that child to mess with my reputation –"

"I said I got it," Hermione interrupted coolly. She walked around him until she reached Aidan. Gently, she gathered the peaceful looking infant in her arms and took out her wand.

She paused and looked back at Draco, "When – when I leave, this will be permanent."

Draco raised an eyebrow before flicking his wand. "I've just altered the room's wards so you can freely apparate out of here, Granger. I'm waiting, but you keep opening the mouth of yours."

Hermione swallowed hard before continuing. "If you don't change your mind before I leave, I will make sure that you don't see Aiden, or hear about him, Draco. You won't be part of his life."

Draco huffed impatiently and rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious!" Hermione said. "One day, if you've changed your mind for whatever reason and decide that you _do_ want to be part of Aidan's life, it will be too late."

Draco barked a laugh. "Oh, please, in your dreams, Granger. That will never happen, I can assure you."

"I'm giving you one last chance, Draco –"

"Bloody hell, Granger," Draco laughed, "are you honestly that desperate? How many times does a bloke have to tell you?"

He strode towards her until his face was only inches from hers; his breath hitting her with every harsh word.

"I know how girls think. Don't for _one day_ think that I could ever feel anything for you and Aidan, Granger. Just because I gave you a son, it doesn't mean anything. Do you understand?"

Hermione looked down at her still-sleeping son, before looking back up at his biological father.

"I said, do you understand?" Draco asked slowly, his voice low.

"Perfectly," she replied, nodding.

Taking a step away from him, she lifted her wand and glanced at Astoria and Narcissa. She gave them a sad smile. "I'm sorry for everything." Her eyes lingered at Astoria. "I'm so sorry.''

Before they could say anything, she apparated away.

.

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><p>.<p>

Once Hermione had appeared to her destination, she tightened her embrace around Aidan and dropped down to the ground in exhaustion. She leant against the wall and peered down to see Aidan awake and staring at her.

She didn't realize her tears had finally fallen until her son reached his tiny fingers upwards to catch one of the teary tracks on her cheeks.

"Aidan," Hermione said softly, leaning down to kiss the top of his nose, "it's just you and me now."

He blinked, but thankfully didn't cry. He just continued to stare at her with those eyes that reminded her so much of his father.

Draco.

Merlin, did he really hate her _that much_ that he didn't want to be in the life of his own son? He was serious. He didn't want Aidan.

She looked back at the infant and bit her bottom lip as she felt her heart weighing heavier.

"I'm so sorry, Aidan –" Her voice broke as she clutched Aidan tighter "– I'm sorry."

She was sorry that his father didn't want him. She was sorry that in the future he was going to question why his friends had dads and he didn't. Most of all, she was sorry that she couldn't be good enough for him. Unknowingly, her self-doubt was beginning to increase.

Despite all the books she had read, this was different.

She pulled Aidan even closer into her torso and brought her face down to his cheek before finally letting all the stress and pain pour out of her.

"Pardon me, madam," a concerned voice said moments later, "are you all right?"

.

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><p>.<p>

Hermione quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before looking up to flash the man a fake smile. "I'm okay, thank you."

_Wait... he looks oddly familiar._ Hermione tried to wrack her brain with the names of people she knew back at work.

"Are you sure?" he asked, bending down until he was at eye level with her. He noticed Aidan and nodded towards him. "Is your baby alright? Not hurt, I hope?"

Hermione felt foolish. She should have apparated inside her flat immediately instead of appearing in the first place she had thought of.

The man frowned before standing up and extending his hand towards her. "Do you need any help?"

She took it gratefully and stood up. "No, thank you. I've um... I fell."

He raised an eyebrow. "You fell. In the middle of a dark alleyway?"

Hermione blushed. "It wasn't that dark," she mumbled.

The man tilted his head to the side, examining her. "You look like someone I used to know."

"Funny, you look familiar too," she replied, extending her hand for a handshake.

Since he had been such a gentleman and the only person who had been nice to her today, she could at least introduce herself.

So, she beamed another fake smile. "Hello, my name is Hermione Granger."

The man's eyes widened with surprise before he grinned with recognition. "Why, hello there, Hermione Granger." He shook her hand and smirked. "My name is Theodore Nott."

.

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><p>.<p>

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Draco rolled his eyes towards the ceiling before looking back at Astoria. Couldn't he just enjoy his dinner in peace?

"Tell you what?"

"You know very well what," Astoria snapped, violently placing her goblet down on the table. "Why didn't you tell me that you and Hermione –"

"Don't," Draco snarled, glaring at her. "First of all, the boy isn't mine, all right? Get that through your pretty skull, Astoria. Second of all, it's none of your business."

Astoria gawked at him before hissing, "None of my business? Excuse me, but I happen to be your future wife! I have every business to know who my husband fools around with –"

"Your duty as a wife is to help create an heir and make yourself look pretty," Draco told her, already bored with the conversation. "Surely, as a Pureblood, you already know that."

Astoria closed her mouth and stared at Draco for a while. This was who she would be marrying? Shaking her head in disgust, she threw her napkin on the table and stood up.

"I'm going to pay Blaise a visit," she snapped, "to see what he's done to my wedding dress so far."

"Am I supposed to care?" Draco asked in his bored tone, sipping his soup.

_Well, you should,._ "I just thought that I would let you know."

"No need to ask for my permission," Draco smirked, "but you can go if you want."

Before she did something she would regret, Astoria left.

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><p><strong>.<br>**

Finally.

Draco let out a heavy sigh. He dropped his spoon into the bowl and leant back to rub his face. Merlin, he was so fucking tired. First, his mother is showing a bit of interest towards that boy and Granger… and now his fiancé?

Stupid Mudblood. Everything was her fault.

With a grunt and sudden loss of appetite, he stood up and walked towards his room. He kicked the door open and glared down at the wrinkled blankets Hermione had used for her and Aidan.

He hesitated for only a second before casting _Scourgify _on the bed. There was no way he wanted Mudblood germs on his bed.

After he finished preparing himself, he threw himself onto the bed with a loud groan. Finally, some peace and quiet. Finally, he could relax and not have to deal with Granger and her filthy half-blood offspring.

So he should feel happy, right? Ecstatic, even. But, for some obscure reason, he felt different.

Shaking his head at his foolishness, he rolled over to turn onto his side. He grunted as his ribs unexpectedly made contact with a strange object.

Sitting up, he pulled the blanket down to see what it was and felt a soft weight slamming down on his chest.

Hermione forgot the teddy bear.

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	10. Thoughts

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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><strong>

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 10**

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"He's being an absolute prat, Blaise," Astoria complained, kicking a nearby rock as they continued walking down the path. "can you believe him? He said he doesn't want anything to do with Aidan! And I'm supposed to bloody _marry_ him!"

Blaise sighed, tightening his hold on her hand. "So don't marry him."

She groaned impatiently. ''Blaise, you know it's not that simple. I can't just break it off with him."

Suddenly angry, he dropped her hand and whirled around to face her. "How is that not simple, Astoria? Explain it to me! _How_?"

Astoria gasped, shocked at his outburst. Why was he yelling at her? Merlin, why is he even mad? "Blaise, what's the matter with you?"

"I fucking loved you for _years,_ Astoria!" Blaise exclaimed. "Years!"

When she came to visit him at home an hour ago, he was happy. Ecstatic, even. He thought he would get a chance to spend some quality time with her; hoping the visit had nothing to do with Draco. But no, she only came because she needed to vent about her future husband.

So, finally, after all those years of rejection, anger, hurt, confusion, and hopelessness, Blaise Zabini lost his cool demeanor. Here he was, getting tired of hearing her complain and whine about how awful her future husband was.

Was she really that blind sighted or was she just forgetful?

''Blaise –"

"Astoria," he interrupted, gently taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on her fingers before sighing, "when I... Don't you remember anything at all, from back at Hogwarts?"

She frowned. "Of course I do. Where are you going with this?"

"Really?" Blaise asked in mock incredulity. "Because it seems as if you don't even remember how _we_ were before you became the future wife of Draco."

Astoria's eyes softened. She took a step closer to him so their faces were only inches away from each other. She leant forward to kiss the tip of his nose and giggled. "You're a crazy fool. How can I ever forget about us? Those days... Merlin, those _years,_ were amazing, Blaise."

He smiled sadly with her as he caressed her cheek. "Then why did you reject me? You told me you didn't love me enough when I proposed to you after my seventh year."

"Blaise," she whispered, her eyes beginning to water, "I lied to you."

That hurt. Even though she was the one that told him, it still hurt her now because she was the one that had caused the pain. She was the one who had lied.

Merlin, she was no different than Draco.

"But, why?" he asked, loosening his hold on her hands. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I was already in an arranged marriage with Draco, even when I was a young girl, Blaise," Astoria explained sadly. "I thought it was going to be beneficial for my family, and I was scared to break the agreements between us and the Malfoys, as they're so powerful. It was practically a Wizarding contract! I had no choice –"

"So, you lied to me, making me think as if you never felt anything –"

"Please, it wasn't like that!" she cried out, grabbing his face so she could maintain eye-contact. "I'm so sorry, I wish I had a time-turner so I could go back and tell them I didn't want to marry him. To tell them that I had found someone else."

"I know," Blaise sighed, lifting one of his hands to wipe a tear away from her cheeks, "I know. It's okay, it's in the past. Now at least we know the truth, yeah?"

Astoria nodded, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"By the way, how come you didn't recognize me back at the shop?" Blaise asked, frowning. "If you really loved me, wouldn't you have recognized me those short months ago?"

She rolled her eyes. "I did recognize you. Maybe not entirely, but I do remember thinking to myself that you looked familiar. Besides, I hadn't seen you in years and you had matured quite a lot. You had even a little moustache!"

"Well, I charmed it off the next day for you," Blaise teased, kissing her forehead. Merlin, no matter how insane this girl made him feel, he still loved her very much. "Astoria, I love you."

"I love you too," she whimpered, burying her face in the crook of his neck and sighing, her thoughts drifting back to Draco. "I'm sorry. I don't want to marry him, Blaise, but what can I do? I'm scared. My family is counting on this marriage but I can't, Blaise. And poor Hermione and Aidan! Draco kicked them out and I can't marry him –"

"Don't," he said, gently interrupting her. "You will get out of this marriage, Astoria. I don't know how, but you will. As for Hermione and Aidan, we'll find a way to help them out. If we get Draco to realize how wrong he is, maybe we can work this out. Draco just needs to open his eyes."

Astoria let out a harsh laugh, despite the tears that had started to fall. "Draco? Care for Hermione and Aidan? You're joking, Blaise. That's impossible and you know it. Plus, I don't think she would even want him anywhere _near_ Aidan."

"You can't think like that, love," Blaise tutted gently. He sighed, tightening his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head, "we just need to come up with a plan."

.

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><p>.<p>

"Aidan," Hermione laughed, gently taking his hand away from one of her curls, "you're pulling my hair, silly boy. It hurts."

The infant continued to grab tiny fistfuls of his mother's hair and tug at it with all his might, causing Hermione to wince slightly. She tutted him and made a disapproving face, hoping her son knew what it meant.

However, the baby's mouth widened into what appeared to be a mini mischievous grin; his eyes continuously transfixed on her hair.

"It seems to me that I'm not the only one who thinks that you need to do something about that wild hair of yours, Granger," Theodore Nott snickered, placing a cup of butterbeer in front of her. "Honestly, it's been years, and yet it seems as if haven't changed at all."

Hermione rolled her eyes. _Seriously? Nothing had changed?_

"What brings you back to London, Nott?" Hermione asked, trying to remain civil.

Nott smirked. "What are you trying to say? Can't a bloke come back to London and not be questioned about it?"

Hermione blinked and scowled. "Well, forgive me for asking out of _curiosity_."

"You're forgiven." Nott let out a long sigh after a sip of butterbeer. "To answer your question, I came back to visit a friend of mine. In a few weeks, his life is going to change. I want to be there to help the poor sod! Not that it should interest you. Although, you _had_ only asked that simply to fill in the awkwardness, correct?"

Hermione continued to stare and him before groaning out of annoyance. "Merlin Nott, can you_ please _–"

"I'm just joking, Granger," Nott laughed, gently patting her on the shoulder, "you don't need to take things so seriously, you know."

She made a face and drank the last bit of her refreshment. She gently removed Aidan's clutch from her hair and wrapped him securely with a blanket.

"Well," she said, getting up, "thank you so much for your kindness, Nott. But I really must go."

Nott's smile dropped into a frown. "Wait, come on now, Granger, you still haven't told me what happened earlier –"

"And it's really none of your business," Hermione cut him off in anger. "Honestly –"

"Well, seeing as how I helped you, bought a drink for you, and made sure you and your child were safe –" he got up and followed Hermione out, ignoring the people staring at them "– the least you can do is explain to me why you were in that alleyway in the first place."

Hermione threw him a withering look before groaning. Damn it, what was up with the world? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Couldn't he see that she wanted to be left alone? Was she not being obvious?

"Stop being a – just stop and talk to me, Granger, _stop_!"

Finally, she gave up. She whirled around and scowled at him. "What do you want?"

Nott let out a heavy sigh before shoving his hand inside his pockets. "Are you... Er… I mean, is everything all right?"

_Does anything about me look all right?_ Hermione thought viciously."I'm fine."

Nott's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie, Granger. You weren't much of a liar, even at Hogwarts."

Hermione stayed quiet, silently fuming as she tightened her embrace around Aidan. The baby turned his head and stared at the tall man following them, and let out a small yelp. Hermione kissed his cheek, murmuring softly so Nott couldn't hear.

"Who's the father, Granger?" Nott asked daringly. He didn't fail to notice her stiffening, which only heightened his interest. He stepped closer and glanced down at Aidan's grey eyes.

_Wait a minute..._

"Really, Nott," Hermione scoffed, "how is that any of your business?"

Nott raised an eyebrow, noticing the infant's pale blonde hair. "It's just a simple question, Granger. If you answer me then I'll won't ask anymore questions, yeah?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip. How close was Nott to Draco? What if he ran into Draco and started to question him? But, come to think of it, she didn't remember ever seeing them together. _Then again, Nott –_

"You know what, Granger, never mind," he said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione blinked. "What?"

Nott sighed before smiling with a shrug. "It's obvious that you don't want to let me know. But it's all right. I'll be there for you in case you need anyone."

She frowned. "What? Nott –"

"No, Granger," Nott grinned, "don't worry about it."

She sighed sadly. "It's not that I don't trust you –"

"You don't, though," Nott said bluntly, letting out a chuckle as he stared at the ground, "and that's quite understandable! After all that's –"

"That's not it at all, Nott."

"Then, what?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it. "Theo –"

"Do I know the father?" Nott interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head in exasperation before sighing heavily. _Merlin, does he really want to know?_ "Yes. I can say that you know him very well."

Nott's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh? Well then, you must tell me."

She was seconds from hexing him to ease her annoyance, but she decided against it when she noticed him laughing. "What is so funny?" she snapped, rolling her eyes.

"You," Nott grinned. "You're quite funny, Granger. You need to loosen up a bit, you know?"

Hermione scowled. She turned back around to walk away but stopped when she noticed Astoria and Blaise walking together.

Wait...

Were they holding hands?

"BLAISE! ASTORIA!"

Hermione whirled around, glaring at Nott. She grumbled, embarrassed at the looks being thrown in their direction by people around them. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

Nott grinned. "I'm getting my friends attention, of course. Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

She glared at him before turning around again to face the two. She gave them both a smile, "Hey, you two."

Astoria gasped and quickly rushed to give her a hug, accidentally nudging into the baby. "Sorry! But Merlin, Hermione! You're okay! I'm so sorry about what Draco did to you and Aidan!"

Aidan, who had fallen asleep, woke up from the sudden interruption. The baby blinked, let out a soft cry, before his eyes landed on Astoria. He glared and cried again, causing her to back away with uncertainty.

Blaise shook his head in amusement, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She merely glanced at him before throwing Aidan what she hoped to be a happy smile.

Nott laughed. ''I can tell you'll be rotten when it comes to kids, Astoria."

Hermione chuckled, adjusting her hold on Aidan as she rocked him back and forth. She rubbed Aidan's back, and kissed his cheek when he looked up at her face. After what felt like hours, but what really were a few long minutes, Aidan stopped crying, although his face remained in a disgruntled expression; the spitting image of Draco.

"It's okay, darling," Hermione laughed, kissing the frowning baby, "you can go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry about that," Astoria said nervously, "I'm just really glad you're okay."

Hermione shrugged and smiled. "Where's Draco?"

She looked around them and frowned. Where was he? And why was Blaise holding onto Astoria like that? It seemed as if they were almost _too_ comfortable with each other.

"Sleeping," Astoria replied. She turned to look at Blaise, noticing the look on his face. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, kissing her forehead without thinking. He turned back to Hermione and grinned, "So, I see you met Theo?"

"We met before," Hermione said slowly, still shocked at Blaise's tender gesture. "During Hogwarts, I mean. Years ago."

Were Blaise and Astoria really that close?! Astoria was engaged, for Merlin's sake! What would Draco do if he saw them like that?

"Yeah, but we never really spoke to each other until now," Nott grinned, crossing his arms. "We're kind of getting to know each other."

"Oh?" Blaise raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Good. Because Hermione is a beautiful – and talented – witch."

Astoria didn't miss the glint in his eye. What was he playing at?

Nott was too busy agreeing to notice anything, "Yes, you're right. She is the smartest witch of our age, Blaise. Don't forget that."

Hermione blushed. "Honestly, you two. Stop –"

"If only I know who Aidan's father is," Nott interrupted dramatically, winking at Hermione. "Obviously he doesn't know the good things in his life."

"You don't know who the father is?" Astoria asked, confused. Hermione threw her a warning look that clearly stated for her to _shut the hell up_. Thankfully, she understood. "Neither do we."

"Well, then, you should find out before she gets away," Blaise smirked, hoping his friend got the hint.

Of course he did.

"Well, I don't know," Nott said, quickly shoving his hands into his pockets again before turning back to Hermione, "I'll wait until I know she's ready."

Hermione stared back at him. What were they both doing? Was this really his way of asking her out? It was just sad. Though extremely amusing.

"Thank you," she said softly, knowing only Theo could hear her, "for making my day better."

He looked taken aback but gave her a genuine smile. "Honestly though, Granger. If you need any help, or you just want to talk, you can always owl me."

Hermione nodded. "That means a lot. Thank you."

Theo noticed that Aidan was falling asleep again and nodded towards him. "I guess you're leaving now?"

He didn't want her leave. He's actually enjoying spending time with her. But, if he was going to try and get to know her better, he needed to first show some thoughtfulness, right?

She grinned. "Yeah. Owl you soon?"

Astoria and Blaise, who were both very quiet, threw each other a triumphant look before listening again.

"I'll look forward to it," Nott smiled back.

Once they had all bade Hermione goodbye, Nott turned to his friends and cursed.

"What is it?" Blaise asked, concerned.

"I said 'I'll look forward to it.,'" he groaned. "Damn it, Blaise! I sounded like a bloody fruit cake!"

Astoria scoffed. "You did not! Clearly, she enjoyed your company. Keep it up; I know she really needs this."

"Why?" Nott asked, frowning. "What happened?"

Astoria and Blaise looked at each other, silently asking the same question. Should they tell him?

"She's just going through a rough time right now," Astoria said eventually, shrugging. "She needs a little goofiness in her life, don't you think?"

"And you're perfect for the job," Blaise smirked.

Nott rolled his eyes but grinned back. "I like her. The man who left them is a sodding _fool_."

Astoria and Blaise shared a look.

Oh, he really had no idea...

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><p>.<p>

Hermione gently placed the sleeping baby on her bed. Since this was the first time she had come home with Aidan, she hadn't really prepared anything for him. She really had nothing else to do except to place a few protection charms around him.

TAP TAP TAP

She turned around at the sound and gasped at the sight of an owl sitting on her window ledge, a small package tied to its legs. Quietly, she rushed towards the window and let the owl inside.

"Hello there," she whispered, grabbing the owl treat sack on the table.

She gave him the treat and gently untied the rope from his leg. Once the owl was free, it gave a sharp hoot and quickly flew out the window and disappeared into the sky.

Frowning, she looked back at the package. A note was attached on top of it that said, _Turn back to normal size._

"Okay then," she muttered, casting the counter-spell to transform the package back to its regular size. The box grew by a few inches, but was still strangely lightweight.

After casting a protective spell for precaution, she gently lifted the cover. Another small note was laid on top of the wrapping papers.

_You forgot about this. Please keep it._

The sender didn't leave a name, but her instincts told her who it was from.

But, with that knowledge, she wasn't sure if she should even open it. What could he possibly want to send her? He had made his message loud and clear. Well… she cast a revealing spell, uncovering nothing. Clearly, it was perfectly safe. But, still...

Her curiosity got the better of her.

Placing the note down, she moved the wrapping papers away and gasped as a mixture of emotions came to her all at once. What? Why would he send this to her?

A small cry disrupted her of silent worry.

She looked at the bed to see Aidan fully awake with his arms stretched out towards her. His gaze was fixed on her face before it lowered down to the teddy bear in her hands. He cried out again, his eyes now glued to the soft object.

Hermione was torn between sending back the teddy bear, and actually handing it over to her son. The latter won.

Sighing, she walked towards him and spoke softly. "Guess what someone gave you, Aidan."

To her shock, he grabbed the teddy's ear and clutched it tightly. For some reason, she felt uncomfortable with the movement.

Accepting it would look as if she had forgiven Draco, wouldn't it? But with returning it, Aidan would lose his bear. Looking at him now, nearly falling asleep again as he kept his hold on the teddy bear's ear, it was obvious he loved it.

Hermione inwardly groaned as she lay down. She wrapped an arm around Aidan and placed a kiss on his cheek. Aidan opened his eyes to stare at his mother and gurgled.

"What was that, darling?" Hermione chuckled, caressing his fine blond hair.

Aidan looked between her and the teddy, before abruptly letting out a tiny, short laugh, the first time he'd ever laughed.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh as well. "What are you giggling about, you silly boy?"

Merlin, the amount of joy she felt in that moment, just seeing him like that. It was as if all the horrible things she had ever gone through had been worth it. All of the hurt, pain and suffering… All had been worth it. She loved her son very, very much and would make sure no harm would ever come to her baby.

Aidan yawned as he placed one of his tiny hands on top of her arm. He kept the other hand on the teddy, almost as if he wanted to create a connection between his mother and father. His eyes drooped slightly, before finally closing them and falling asleep.

She didn't forget about the teddy bear. Why did Draco even bother sending it back? She didn't understand.

She tried to gently take the bear away, but Aidan's hold only tightened as he whimpered softly in his sleep. Hermione sighed in annoyance and gave up. Clearly, Aidan loved it.

Damn you, Draco Malfoy.

Now there was no way she could return it.

.

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><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!  
><strong>


	11. New Opportunities

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 11**

**.**

**.:.**_ 5 Months after Aidan's birth **.**_**:.**

Draco could feel the heat of the sunrays hitting his face as his mind started to become aware of what was around him in his sleepy state. His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as the blast of light hit his eyes. Groaning, he lifted up the blanket to cover his face, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Merlin, what time was it anyway?

Peeking over the top of the blanket, he looked at the clock. In his opinion, this was probably the only genius Muggle invention. Draco rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes as he stared at the time.

What... it was only eight?

Dropping his head heavily back onto the pillow, Draco let out a few curses. Great, only one more day until he had to officially (and publicly) announce his and Astoria's upcoming marriage. He was actually supposed to get married to that annoying witch _months_ ago, but for some reason Astoria wanted to postpone the date.

Not that he was complaining, though.

It was his mother that was actually upset. She was very impatient about their impending marriage and kept asking them about the date. Oh well, too bad. He didn't understand why his mother wanted to go through with the marriage anyway, now that she knew that he impregnated the Muggle-born.

KNOCK KNOCK

Draco huffed, bringing the blanket up to cover his face again. "What do you want?"

"Draco, are you awake?" his mother asked softly behind the door.

"I don't know mother, am I?" Draco asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he turned on his side. "Actually, no, I'm still in such a deep sleep, so come back when I wake up, will you?"

"Open the door, Draco," Narcissa tutted. "Why must you always lock the door?"

Draco wanted to reply with a crude comment, but he knew his mother wouldn't appreciate it. "Just... what do you need?"

"Draco. Open the door."

Groaning in defeat, Draco threw the pillow away from his body and pushed himself off the bed. He rubbed his eyes again before he finally let Narcissa inside, who wasted no time and rushed inside his bedroom.

"Good morning to you, too," Draco grumbled, throwing himself back on top of his comfy cushions.

"Draco," Narcissa tutted, folding her arms as she glared at her son, "do you know what the date is today?"

"Nope," he shrugged, already regretting his decision to let her in. Couldn't he just have a decent sleep for once? He had been so stressed out recently; he didn't need any more shit at home.

"Not only is it the wedding announcement day, but today you have a job interview for that position in the Improper Use of Magic Office," Narcissa sighed. "Draco, you really need this to go well. You need a new job, especially after losing your old one."

"Mother, I don't a new job," Draco complained, giving up sleep already. "Why do I need a job if we've still got money and –"

"That's not the point, Draco!" Narcissa snapped. "And you know that."

Draco opened his mouth to retort but thought against it. Of course. No matter what, she still wanted the public to think that the Malfoys had truly changed.

What bollocks.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione patted the pillows near Aidan and watched as he struggled to sit up. She kept her arms near him as he rolled to his side and then onto his stomach.

"Uh oh!" she laughed, a half-shocked expression on her face. "You almost did it!"

Aidan looked up and screamed – or was that a laugh? - as he continued to try to sit up by himself. Hermione watched him with a satisfied smile. Merlin, had it already been 5 months? During those months, Aidan had been showing some progression which not only thrilled her, but made her think he was going to be a bright young child just like she had been.

A Floo alert from the fireplace caught her attention.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron greeted his friend, dusting off the Floo powder from his hair as he made way for Harry's arrival.

"Ron, you're making a mess!" Hermione scolded, but she grinned back as she was enveloped in a hug. She noticed a bag in Harry's hand and nodded towards it. "What's that you got there?"

"We've got you both something," Harry said, after greeting Hermione with a hug too, "a surprise, actually."

He looked around the room and raised an eyebrow at the sound of Aidan babbling to himself as he rolled over to his side. Chuckling, Harry walked over to him and squatted down.

"Hello there, Aidan," he grinned, putting the bag down the floor, "guess what Aunt Ginny and her mum gave you? D'you wanna see?"

Aidan looked up at Harry and squealed, his hands extending towards him as his gaze flickered from the bag and then back to Harry again.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," Ron laughed, sitting beside Harry.

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked, sitting behind Aidan and pulling him against her to support his back.

"Oh, she's at home," Harry sighed, "she hasn't been feeling well this morning. She says hello though and plans to see you later at work."

Hermione frowned. "Work? Harry, I haven't gone to work in months. Not since Aidan was born, really."

"That's another surprise," Ron grinned, "Shacklebolt says that you've been owling him about doing something for work –"

"Well, you can't expect me to stay home and not do anything to support Aidan," Hermione snapped, annoyed with the idea.

"Exactly," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Which is why Shacklebolt is letting you come back –"

"Really?" Hermione interrupted excitingly. "I can come back to work?" Suddenly, her face fell. "But what about Aidan?"

"Let him finish, Hermione," Harry said, taking his glasses out of Aidan's grip.

"I know your _real_ job is in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Ron explained, "but since you asked for a smaller position for now, Shacklebolt wants you to work temporarily for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes."

"Doing what though?" Hermione frowned.

"Well, everything," Ron shrugged. "All the Offices in that department know you've got the brains, so if they need anything, need someone to talk to the Muggles, or even if they need someone who's great at memory spells, they can come to you."

"It's small," Harry agreed, "but it's better than having no job, right? Kingsley will still be paying you the same amount because of your knowledge."

"Which is unfair if you ask me." Ron muttered under his breath teasingly.

Well… she did ask for a smaller position. And the Ministry _did_ tend to call her whenever they needed help, which was almost every other day... So it wasn't really a bad idea, right?

"Temporarily?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry confirmed, "and then once you're comfortable enough, or when Aidan is old enough, you can definitely transfer back to Magical Law Enforcement."

"Okay," she nodded, gathering Aidan in her arms as he struggled to crawl away, "when can I see him?"

"Later, if you want," Ron said, "we can watch Aidan for you."

Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you, guys. I really appreciate that."

The tip of Ron's ears reddened, and Harry only mumbled a quick, "You're welcome."

"So, what did you get for Aidan?" Hermione asked, tightening her arms around the squirming boy.

"Oh, check this out," Harry grinned, pulling out a Muggle toy for babies. He tapped it with his wand and watched as the stuffed animals danced and sang.

Aidan stared at the animals and leant towards it. He squealed, trying to reach for the elephant, but stopped when he noticed his mother's arms around him. He turned his head to look at Hermione and made a few incoherent sounds - probably telling her to let him go - before turning back to the toy.

"He loves it," Ron grinned. "Dad had these Muggle things for us when we were small and charmed it to entertain us."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione laughed, loosening her hold and watching as Aidan reached forward and grabbed the elephant by its trunk.

"S'alright," Ron mumbled, looking at the ground sheepishly.

"Anyway," Harry said, rolling his eyes in good nature, "you should get going. Shacklebolt will be at the office until 10, so best go now."

"Okay," Hermione agreed right away. Merlin, it had been _months_ since she had stepped foot at the workplace. It wasn't like in school where 'months away' were only ever three. Ever since she had found out she was pregnant, Kingsley hadn't wanted her to work, fearing for her health. Now, after all those _long_ months, she could go back and feel independent all over again.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Good news or bad news?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked Draco, staring up at him from behind his spectacles.

Draco blinked, confused. "Pardon?"

"That wasn't one of the choices, Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt sighed. "Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

_What an arse._ "Er... bad news."

''Unfortunately, you did not get the position at the Improper use of Magic Office." Shacklebolt didn't appear at all sympathetic as he delivered the message.

"I'm guessing that's good news for you?" Draco asked coldly, folding his arms.

"Yes," Shacklebolt grinned, "although that was not the good news I was going to give you. The good news is that I'm going to let you work for me."

"For you?"

"Yes. As my assistant."

Draco stared at the man in front of him. _An assistant_? "What kind of assistant?"

Kingsley explained. "Well, you'll just do what I need you to do. It's simple really. Since I've been very busy recently, I could use a bit of help around the office. If I need you to Apparate somewhere to deliver something, or make my guests some refreshments, or –"

"What kind of position is that?" Draco snapped. "I'm not going to be anyone's fucking slave!"

"Not my slave, my personal assistant. But, since you don't want it, I guess you'll have to find someone out there who would be willing to hire you with that thing tattooed on your arm," Shacklebolt shrugged, "I'm sure Knockturn Alley would."

Draco's mouth closed shut.

The fucker had a point, but that didn't mean he had to agree. What would mother say? Him, doing what the Minister wanted, as a personal slave? What would the public think?

"Fine," Draco growled angrily, "when do I start?"

Kingsley beamed, "You can start by letting Miss Granger inside. I believe she's waiting for me."

_Wait, what?_

Draco felt himself freeze. What? Granger? No. He thought he had got rid of her already. He couldn't help but notice the way his heart felt: as if it was beating too slowly and the atmosphere around him was becoming chillier. That was what Granger did to him, every time.

A small knock interrupted his thoughts and he watched as the witch walked inside Kingsley's office, coming face to face with him.

Oh fuck.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione's excitement and smile vanished at the sight of Draco. He looked equally as shocked about seeing her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked harshly, glancing between him and Kingsley.

Draco smirked, folding his arms. "I happen to work for the new Minister of Magic. What are _you_ doing here, Muggle?"

Hermione glared at him. "I'm going to work for him too! Although, now that I know you're here, I think I'll pass."

"Calm down, Miss Granger," Shacklebolt sighed, "take a seat so I can give you the details for your new job position."

"Temporary job position," Hermione corrected him. She liked her real job and she planned to keep it.

"Right," he continued, "now, ignore Mr. Malfoy please, so we can get down to business."

"First off, I want him gone," Hermione snapped, giving Draco a dirty look.

"Oh please," Draco scoffed, sitting down away from her, "as if I want to be in the same room as you."

"Sod off, prick," Hermione mumbled under her breath.

"What about my prick?" Draco smirked tauntingly. "Do you hear what she's saying, Sir?"

Before Hermione did something she would regret, Kingsley cleared his throat sharply.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are free to go for now," he snapped. "I believe you had an announcement for those journalists in front of the building?"

"They're here already?" Draco asked, clearly annoyed. It was only the afternoon and already they wanted full coverage of this wedding plan.

"Yes. I'll owl you if I need anything," Kingsley said, using his wand to flick the door open.

Draco shrugged and got up before throwing Hermione an infuriating look. Once he left, she whirled around to glare at the Minister.

"Why is he here?" Hermione asked with a groan. "Why did you even hire him?"

"Miss Granger, I know that you and Mr. Malfoy had your differences," Kingsley sighed, leaning back from his chair and giving her 'the look,' "but you both need to put that aside and be professional now, as Ministry employees, do you understand? We don't need school rivalry to get between you both."

_If only you knew what happened between us_. "Yes, sir. You're absolutely right."

Kingsley's face lit up, causing the mood to lighten. But, no matter how excited she was about this job, that annoying, horrible, and gut wrenching thought that she could run into Malfoy anytime soon almost made her change plans.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Are you expecting a grand wedding, Miss Greengrass?"

_Flash!_

Astoria nervously laughed as she blinked profusely from the sudden lights of the cameras. "Er... Well, I don't mind a small one."

"But a Malfoy _always_ expects the best," Draco said smoothly at the crowd of writers, "so it will be another grand wedding, as you put it."

_Flash! Flash!_

"Miss Greengrass, how does it feel to be engaged to a former Death Eater?"

Draco's expression remained blank, but Astoria could see the sudden stiffening of his body and his sharp intake of breath from the corner of her eye.

Sighing, she took one of Draco's clenched hands gently. "I am very happy to be engaged to a family who has held grace and pride. This family has gone through so much more downs than ups these past few years. The fact that the Malfoys are still standing here today tells me how strong they are as a family; one who sticks together no matter what, and I, for one, am proud to become part of them."

_Flash! Flash! Flash!_

"Over here, Miss Greengrass and Mr. Malfoy!"

"Look at the camera, you two!"

_Flash!_

To her shock, the hand that she was holding squeezed back gently. She glanced at his direction and was taken aback when Draco's face slightly turned towards her with his lips turned upward before it flashed back into a line.

Even though that smile was small and quick, she could still have read the thankfulness behind it. And that small gesture meant a lot to her.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Such a faker." Ron scoffed, reading the _Daily Prophet_. "I doubt Astoria would be thankful having to be involved with that family, quite honestly. Who does she think she's kidding?"

"I don't know, Ron." Hermione shrugged, adjusting her hold on Aidan in a more comfortable position."She may not be thankful, but she seemed genuine when describing how strong the Malfoys' are as a family. That's good, right?"

"Still think the Malfoys' are full of asses." Ron said, tossing the paper to the nearby trash and crossing his arms.

"Oh look there's Ginny and Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, causing Aidan to squirm with excitement at the sight of their friends.

Harry grinned, holding his arms out and laughed as Aidan started to bend forward and lean towards him. "Hello little one, did you miss your Uncle Harry?"

Aidan's hands clenched and unclenched as he kept stretching his arms towards him. When Harry made no move to hold him, Aidan frowned and made a sound before pouting.

"Oh stop teasing him will you?" Ginny said, slapping Harry's shoulder playfully.

Harry just laughed and wrapped his arms around the baby, giving Hermione the chance to ease the ache growing in her arms.

"So how was the meeting with Kingsley?" Ginny asked, after greeting Hermione with a hug.

Hermione beamed with excitement. "Brilliant! Kingsley said there are numerous cases out there where Muggles would see witches or wizards performing magic, and would need me to just sort them out for them to extreme and least extreme."

"That's very simple." Ron complained, "Way easier than what Harry and I have to do-

"That's because this job is only temporarily. If I haven't been begging for a job, I bet you anything he wouldn't have even offered." Hermione explained, watching with a grin as Aidan tried to grab Harry's glasses from his face.

"Hey look who it is!"

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione turned around to see Theodore Nott jogging towards them. Oh Merlin, here comes the joker. During these past few months, Theo had managed to be in civil terms with Harry, Ron, and Ginny but that doesn't mean there isn't any awkward auras around them. Ron would sometimes talk to the former Slytherin in a way as if they were still back in school, Ginny would be indifferent, but at least Harry was trying.

It's probably because Theo was becoming a good friend to Hermione.

She grinned, giving him a quick hug. Ever since Theo found her months ago, he had become quite a gentlemen. He wasn't at all like he was in school. Then again, back when they were in Hogwarts, Theo was very quiet and never really spoke to them.

"Oh Merlin, not you again." Ron groaned, rolling his eyes. "Every time we're with Hermione, you're with her. Can't you just leave us in peace?"

Theo smirked, "It's not my fault Granger enjoys my company."

Ron wanted to retort something back, but the look on Hermione's face made him feel as if he was a child being scolded.

"What brings you here, Theo?" Hermione asked kindly, "Not stalking me, are you?"

Theo smirked but shook his head, "As much as that idea excites me, I'm actually here with Draco. You remember him, don't you?"

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione exchanged looks. Duh. Of course they remember him. How can they not?

"If you're here with him, then where is he?" Ginny asked, trying to ease the tension she thinks Theo was blind to see.

"He's over there." Theo laughed, turning around to nod towards a person who was gazing at what appeared to be a shop for cloaks and robes. "As you can see, he's quite busy at the moment."

"Right." Hermione muttered, glancing towards her friends, "Anyway, we have to go now."

There's no way she wants Draco to see her.

Theo's face fell immediately, "Oh. Why?"

"Busy stuff, mate." Harry said sympathetically, catching Hermione's discomfort and giving her Aidan.

The baby squealed out loud as he felt his mother's arms wrapping around him. He placed his tiny hands on Hermione's face and grinned, letting a few saliva dripping from his mouth.

"Dirty boy." Theo laughed, lifting his wand to magic is the baby's face clean.

Aidan turned to Theo and stared. Yawning but keeping his eye on the former Slytherin, he let his head fall against the crook of Hermione's neck.

"By the way, I didn't know you're working with Draco," Theo suddenly said, "Also, you haven't told me who Aidan's father is yet."

"What the hell?" Ron snapped suddenly, looking back and forth between Hermione and Theo. Clearly this was news to him. "You're working with Draco? What is he talking about?"

"You're working with Draco?" Harry asked also, frowning with confusion. He stepped closer to Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

She opened her mouth but then closed it, shaking her head.

"What, I'm only asking who the father is." Theo said conversationally, raising an eyebrow. "Simple question, really."

What the hell is he doing?

"That's because it's none of your business!" Ginny snapped, before Hermione could reply back.

"I thought we were all friends now." Theo gasped in mock shock, bringing his hand into his chest to feign hurt. He glanced at Aidan and sighed, "Curious. He has blond hair and grey eyes, Granger."

But before Hermione could make up an excuse, a voice that made her heart sink lower than her stomach interrupted her.

"Theo, what the hell mate? I've been looking all over for you!"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Theo gave Hermione a look she couldn't quite decipher before he turned around to face his friend, "Sorry Draco. Just saw some old friends and decided to say hello again."

Draco frowned and glanced at the 'friends'.

Alright, by 'friends' he thought Theo meant Pansy, Blaise, Goyle, or even Flint. But what the hell? Not the bloody Gryffindors he loved to hate. Damn, he could feel the anger radiating from Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

What's their problem?

But all of that was nothing compared to the look Hermione was giving him now. Her glare was oozing with hate he didn't even know she was capable of holding. He had to secretly admit to himself, it kind of shocked him a bit. But there's no way he's going to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much it affected him.

Just why the fuck was Theo talking to them, anyway?

"What are you lot doing here?" Draco sneered, coming to stand beside Theo and giving them a look of contempt.

However, it was the small thing in Hermione's arms that answered him.

Now it was just a tiny cry.

Completely small.

But Merlin, it's going to do a number on Draco right now.

The sound of a gasp was out of his lips before he could stop it. Nor was the immediate feeling he felt at the sight in front of him.

It was a feeling he was completely unfamiliar with and it made him want to gather it all up and chuck it out of his system. Yes, it was that uncomfortable and foreign of a feeling.

Is that his heart slowing down again? And why is he suddenly feeling so cold that goosebumps is forming on the surface of his skin?

But what confused him the most was that this was the first time he and Aidan laid eyes on each other properly, those striking grey eyes that are so much like his own was staring back at him with curiosity and wonder...

And he couldn't help but feel the same way.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**REVIEWS = UPDATES!  
><strong>


	12. Different

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

**.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 12**

**.**

Aidan blinked, his tiny fingers clutching onto Hermione's hair as his gaze remained on Draco. Hermione leant forward to kiss his cheek, trying to gain his attention. Even though he's only five months, she still wanted to know what he was thinking.

The expression on Draco's face gave her a series of mixed emotions. His grey eyes had widened when they landed on Aidan, and the way his entire body stiffened made her think for a second that someone had used _Petrificus Totalus_ on him. She didn't know if his reaction was a good thing or a bad thing. Personally, she was satisfied that Draco finally got to see Aidan properly. But she was scared of what he would do. Would he try to do something stupid? Would he tell Theo? Did he want to get to know Aidan now?

_I doubt__ it. _Hermione thought to herself. _What is he thinking?_

"We really need to get going," Ginny hissed under her breath, gently pulling Hermione's arm and interrupting her thoughts.

Draco's eyes snapped to Hermione, his shocked expression masked back with a blank look. He smirked, crossing his arms and nodded. "Granger, how awful it is to see you, as usual."

"Likewise," Hermione replied, wincing when Aidan pulled on her hair. "Ouch! Aidan, be careful, sweetheart."

Aidan giggled. "Hum mah mah mah." He grabbed on Hermione's hair again and began to play with each lock as he turned around to look at Draco again.

"What is he saying?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose as he watched a strand of saliva drip from the baby's lips.

"He's just mumbling a few baby words, Ronald," Hermione laughed, wiping Aidan's mouth.

Dropping his gaze from Draco's, Aidan let go of his mother's hair and placed his head on the crook of her neck. Hermione smiled inwardly, placing a comforting hand on his back, caressing him in a gentle manner as she kissed the top of his head. Aidan yawned, his eyes shifting to Ron, Harry, Ginny, Theo, and then back at Draco.

Draco was beginning to feel uneasy each time Aidan glanced at him. Was there something in his face that caught Aidan's attention? Why the fuck did the baby keep looking at him?

"How odd," Theo said curiously, his gaze lingering between Draco and the baby. "Hey Draco, check this out. I think I found a miniature you!"

Hermione's breath hitched for a second before her arms tightened around Aidan. She rolled her eyes and forced a laugh, shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Theo."

"Yeah," Ron jumped in, glaring at the former Slytherin with disgust. "Aidan is nothing like that s_nake._"

Draco gasped in mock hurt and placed a hand over his chest. "Ouch, Weasley! That hurts. Truly."

Ginny, noticing Hermione's discomfort, gently grabbed her arm. "C'mon Hermione. Let's go."

"Yeah, Theo," Draco said, mocking Ginny's tone, "let's go before we catch something."

"Can we meet up later?" Theo asked Hermione, ignoring Draco's protests.

Hermione bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say. The atmosphere around them was beginning to lean towards awkwardness. She enjoyed Theo's company, but Merlin... just this once; couldn't he give her some space?

"I don't know, I've got to work later tonight and –"

"Oh, how grand!" Draco laughed sarcastically, clapping his hands together. "So have I. Guess I'll be seeing you there, Granger?"

_Piss off._ Hermione glared at him. "Hope not."

"Then, I'll come by to pick you up during break?" Theo asked, looking hopeful.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply back but hesitated. "Theo –"

"Why would she go with you, Nott?" Ron snapped, "What business does –"

"Sure," Hermione said, glaring at Ron for being a prat. "I'll owl you, yeah?"

Ginny and Harry both grumbled impatiently, and Ron gently pulled Hermione with them.

.

* * *

><p>,<p>

"See you soon." Theo grinned, looking smug as he shoved his hands inside his pockets.

He turned around to see Draco staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Both of his hands were clenched into fists and his breathing was becoming heavier.

"You okay, mate?" Theo asked, frowning at his friend's demeanor.

"What was that all about?" Draco hissed, grabbing his friend by the arm and dragging him towards a nearby shop.

"We're all friends, Draco," Theo said, glaring at him for leaving an aching sensation in his arm from the tight grip.

Draco huffed, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Potter? Granger? And even the Weasleys?"

"We're friends," Theo repeated, shrugging.

Seriously, what the hell_?_ Since _when_ did Theo become friends with the Gryffindorks? Draco frowned at his friend. What was going on here? As far as he was concerned, his friend would _never_ go for someone as nerdy and annoying as _Granger_. What the fuck?

"Anyway, when's your break?" Theo asked, oblivious to Draco's inward confusion. "Let me know so I can come over and catch Herm –"

"No!" Draco snapped. "No, I'm not going to owl you! Why, so you and Granger can have a lovely time together and do Merlin knows –"

"Well, we are kind of dating," Theo said, interrupting Draco with a smirk.

Draco stared.

No... Theo and her? No. There was no way. Draco shook his head, chuckling at how absurd the idea was. There was no way they could be dating. Besides, Granger had that baby to take care of. It wasn't like she had a lot of time to date a_nd_ take care of the child.

"Seriously?" Draco asked quietly, his stare remaining at Theo's face, trying to catch any flicker of emotion.

Theo grimaced, combing his hair with his hand. "Well, fine. Not really." He didn't fail to notice the way Draco let out a deep breath. How strange... Still, he continued. "But that doesn't mean we won't in the future. Plus, poor Aidan."

"What do you mean, 'poor Aidan'?" Draco asked, clenching his fist.

"Didn't you know?" Theo asked. "Whoever the father is was a right bastard. I found them in a dark alleyway a few days after I returned here. She told me something like how the father of Aidan kicked them out and how he doesn't want them. But I'll be there for her, I can be good for them, right, Draco?"

Draco didn't know why, but for some reason he wanted to punch the smug smirk off Theo's face. His fingers are tingling; just begging to hit or throw something. Draco shoved his hands inside his pockets to prevent any of that from happening. He had a reputation to uphold, but fuck, this prick in front of him deserved a bashing.

Theo and Granger? And... Aidan? His breathing was becoming rougher, and it felt as if an invisible heavy force was pressing down on his chest and... Merlin, what was this? Why was he feeling like this?

"You all right?" Theo asked, noticing Draco's usual pale face starting to tint with colour.

"Fine," Draco muttered, turning around to leave before he gave in to his impulse. "I'll see you soon, I need to go and get ready for work."

_Granger will surely be there, won't she? _Draco suddenly smirked at the thought. Maybe he'll come by and visit.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"You didn't do it, did you?" Blaise said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Astoria bit her lip, bringing her hand up to caress his arm. "Blaise… you should have seen his face when they asked that question about him being a Death Eater. You expect me to break it off at that time? What would they think?"

"I don't care what they think, Astoria," Blaise said, trying to calm his anger. "All I care about is you."

Astoria dropped her hand to her side and looked down. There was this horrible feeling sensation bearing down on her, and it's making her feel rotten. "Blaise –"

"Do you love me?" he asked suddenly, grabbing her hands with his.

"That's a stupid question," Astoria said quietly. "You know I do."

Blaise nodded, tightening his hold on her. "Okay. When do you think you'll tell him? When his mother brings in the dress? When you plan the reception? When you start hiring entertainment? Or are you going to drop it all during the actual wedding day?"

Astoria snatched her hand away from his and stood up. "When it's the right time!"

"When!" Blaise snapped back, standing up.

His lips were curled into an angry snarl, and there were wrinkles between his eyes from the frown his eyebrows were knitted in. Gently, she raised her hand to smooth the wrinkles away.

"I love you," Astoria said softly, "but you have to trust me. I will tell him way before the wedding, of course, but now isn't the time yet. I know there's a perfect time, and I will find out. When I do I'll tell Draco everything –"

"Tell me what?"

Astoria gasped whilst Blaise instinctively grabbed onto Astoria's arm. Draco had walked into the living room and had stopped, looking at their reaction with confusion.

"Tell me what?" Draco repeated, eyeing the way Astoria unconsciously stepped toward Blaise. "What's going on?"

Noticing the looks he was giving them, Astoria blinked and gathered her bearings before clearing her throat. "Uh... Um, well you see Draco… Blaise and I –"

"It's a surprise, mate," Blaise smirked, placing a hand over her shoulder. "We can't tell you yet."

Draco frowned but rolled his eyes. "Another wedding surprise. Stupid." He turned around and walked away. "I'm off to work now."

Astoria and Blaise watched as he apparated, holding their breaths at the sound of his departure. Astoria turned around to face Blaise. "Why did you do that? I was going to tell him about us, Blaise."

He shook his head, leaning down to peck the corner of her lips. "You're right. We'll wait until the time is right."

She smiled and nodded. "We'll know when the time comes. Then we can do it."

"Yes," he said mischievously, "but at _this_ time, I can think of something else we can do."

"Really? Like what –" Astoria screeched with laughter and surprise as Blaise launched himself towards her.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Granger."

Hermione looked up and groaned. "What do you want, Malfoy? I didn't call you here."

"As if I wanted to be here," he scoffed, tossing a packet on her desk. "Here, Kingsley wants you to go over this and make sure everything is correct."

She grabbed the packet and began to flip through the papers. As she scanned the parchment, Draco looked around the small office and smirked. "Well... not a bad place for someone who only works here temporarily. Aren't you just another assistant?"

"No," she said, trying to calm her temper, "I work for a department, whereas you work for one person."

"Oh, look at Granger!" Draco said sarcastically, waving his hands obnoxiously. "She works for a department!"

Hermione sighed. She didn't need this right now. She needed to hurry up with the documents so she could go home to Aidan. "What do you want?"

Draco dropped his hands and threw himself on the chair in front of her desk. Ignoring Hermione's dirty looks, he grabbed the nearest file of paperwork and absently scanned the pages. "Are you dating Theo?"

Hermione stopped reading mid-sentence and glanced up. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, throwing the papers back on the desk and leaning against the back of his chair, throwing his hands over his head.

She rolled her eyes. "No. We're just friends."

"Good," Draco said, rocking his seat back and forth on its legs. "Listen Granger, I told you to stay away from me, my family, and friends –"

"I did," she interrupted, glaring at him, "it's not my fault he started up a conversation with me. He's actually quite nice to me and –"

"I don't know why," Draco interrupted, "you're not even appealing. Merlin, you've got the same attraction as a fucking troll."

Hermione tried her best to ignore the stinging pain forming in her chest. "Get out."

"Excuse me?" Draco asked, bringing the front legs of the chair back to the floor. "What did you say?"

"Get out," she repeated in a strained voice. "Don't come here again unless –"

"Fuck you, Mudblood," Draco snapped. "You had no right befriending _my_ friend and –"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione shouted, her anger getting the better of her. "It's not my fault if your friends find me nice enough to talk to, Malfoy! I happen to think they're good people, unlike you –"

"Shut the fu –"

"No! _You_ shut the fuck up!" Hermione screamed, after secretly silencing the office to prevent the workers around her office from hearing them.

She had had enough. Now that she was no longer in a very fragile state, she felt free to say and do whatever she wanted without worrying about her being pregnant. "I am tired of you bossing me around! You have no right to treat me like this. I blame my hormones at the time for being so _weak –_"

"You are weak –"

"But bother me again, Malfoy, and I _will_ tell Shacklebolt everything!"

Draco strode towards her, their faces only inches apart. Hermione stubbornly maintained her stance. Now was not the time to back down.

"Do it, Granger," he hissed, his breath hitting her face harshly, "do it and I'll tell him that you refuse to let me see my own son –"

"_Excuse me _–"

"I'll tell him that I just want to meet our son and –"

"YOU LIAR!"

Draco paused, shocked that she still had the voice to scream that loudly, at him too.

She continued. "You wanted nothing to do with Aidan, remember?"

"So –"

"I gave you one chance that day, Malfoy, and you screwed it up!" Hermione raged on, sparks appearing at the tip of her wand from her tight grip and anger. "Don't you _dare_ make that rubbish up!"

"So, you're letting Theodore Nott get to know Aidan instead of his real father?" Draco asked, wanting to hurl something at the wall.

Hermione laughed harshly. "What are you talking about? Besides, in case you haven't noticed, Harry and Ron had been helping me. They've become great father figures –"

"Oh two fathers!" Draco laughed back. "Bloody fantastic; let's see how that will affect him –"

"They're way better than an abusive one like you!" Hermione could feel her throat drying from all the screaming, but she didn't care. "I will never let you get to –"

"What are you going to do when he grows up and starts asking you who his real father is, huh?" he snapped back, their noses practically touching, but neither of bothering to move apart. They were both too consumed in their fight to even notice how close they were.

"I'll tell him the truth," Hermione said simply, lifting her chin up challengingly. "I'll tell him how you didn't even care –"

"Well, I just asked now if I can –"

"NO YOU DIDN'T!" she shouted loudly. "You didn't even ask me, Malfoy!"

Draco stopped and swallowed down his insults. He was so close he could count each freckle sprinkled across her face, and the way her eyes were bright from anger. Her forehead remained in the stubborn scowl of hers, her lips were pursed, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Wait… had her eyes always been _that_ colour? And the way her chest was heaving up and down was kind of a distraction...

"Well?" Hermione snapped suddenly. "Get out!"

Draco blinked, his thoughts reorganising themselves as he took a step back away from her. He stared down at the floor for a minute before looking up at her, his determination set on his face.

"You're right," he said calmly. He took a seat again and kept his eyes trained on hers.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she stared back at him in shock. Did he...? Did he just...? "What?"

"You're right," Draco repeated. "Can I see him? Aidan, I mean. Can I see Aidan?"

What the hell? Was there something wrong with him? Hermione shook her head. "No, you can't."

Draco's calm expression morphed back into a scowl. "Why the hell not?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're seriously asking that question? No. I warned you that I wasn't going to let you see him. I never want you near him; I don't even want you to ever look at him."

Draco stood up angrily, but didn't move towards her. "That's not fair, Granger."

"Says the man who has been treating me and Aidan like crap."

"As his biological father, I have the fucking right! I have –"

"You have been nothing but cruel to me and –"

"Fuck you, Granger!"

"Go to hell, Malfoy!"

Draco took a step closer to her but stopped when Hermione raised her wand towards him. They were both breathing heavily now. Draco stared at the tip of her wand and took a step back.

He glanced at Hermione and cleared his throat. "Granger –"

"Get out," Hermione said hoarsely. "Malfoy, just leave me alone."

He shook his head, "Not until you let me see my son."

Hermione couldn't help it. She let out a loud laugh at his nerve. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe… _Now_ he's your son?"

Draco wanted to take the wand that was pointing at him and snap it in half, just so he could give the witch a piece of his mind. How dare she make fun of him? How dare she? He could feel the anger rushing through his veins, but pushed it down. Cursing her wouldn't help him now.

"What are you still doing here? LEAVE!" Hermione yelled, stepping forward and digging the tip of her wand into his neck.

He could see the fight draining her. If he wanted, he could keep pushing and pushing until push came to shove. But no. With one last dirty look, he turned around and did as she asked.

.

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><p>.<p>

"Guess what?" Ron asked, kicking her house door open.

Harry and Ginny followed behind him, looking apologetic but equally as excited.

Hermione laughed at Ron's excitement. "What is it, Ron?"

"My parents surprised us with tickets to see a Quidditch game!" Ron grinned. "Come on, Hermione, you have to come!"

She grimaced. "I don't even like Quidditch –"

"Come on, Hermione," Ginny pleaded. "Please? My parents won these tickets from my dad's work. You need a little break anyway!"

"What about Aidan?" Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "I can't just leave him –"

"Ask Nott to baby sit him," Harry shrugged. "He's proven to be a decent wizard. Plus, for some bizarre reason, Aidan likes him."

He was right. Ever since Theo had been hanging around with them, Aidan had found a playmate. He would always bring new toys and play with the baby whenever he was awake. She was glad; Theo was a nice guy, after all. But still... she didn't know if she could just leave her son with him while she was away.

"I'll go with you and spend an hour there, and then come home quickly," Hermione said, trying to bargain with her friends.

But they complained some more.

"No!"

"That's not nearly enough!"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Fine!" Hermione laughed, reluctantly giving in. "I'll stay for three hours tops. Only three hours."

Once they knew they couldn't persuade her any longer, they agreed.

"Finally!" Ginny said, placing an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "It's about time you had a day off to yourself."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, still hesitant. "Fine, I'll ask Theo to watch Aidan for a few hours, okay?"

"Sure!" Ron said, nodding. "I mean it's only three hours. What can that bloke do wrong in that time?"

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><p>.<p>

Draco lay on the bed, absently staring at the ceiling. Today had not been a good day for him. He didn't know why, but the image of Theo with Hermione and Aidan made him want to do something rash. It was... unsettling, those foreign feelings.

_Why won't she let me see Aidan? Am I really that bad?_

A sound from the window interrupted his thoughts. He looked at the direction of the sound and frowned, noticing an owl tapping its beak on the window. Sighing, he threw his blanket away from him and rushed towards the window to let the owl in.

Great... this was Theo's owl. What did he want now?

After untying the letter from the owl's leg, he unfolded the paper and read.

_Draco,_

_Hermione asked me if I knew anyone to watch Aidan next week. Do you know of anyone? I said I would, but I forgot that I already have plans. I would take him with me, but I'm sure the poor little boy would be too restless. Apparently all the Weasleys and Potter will be gone for something that day too. Could you ask your mother, or Astoria? _

_Hermione wouldn't mind, I'm sure._

_Let me know!_

_Theo _

Draco re-read the letter, a thought slowly forming in his head. So, she needed a babysitter. Well, then. He was sure his mother and Astoria wouldn't mind either. He quickly grabbed another parchment and jotted down his answer. Yes, they could definitely babysit Aidan.

Once the owl flew away, Draco couldn't stop the mischievous smirk forming on his face. _Oh, Granger. I guess I will get to know our son, after all. _

What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her...

**.**

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**sorry for the wait! here's a new chapter, hopefully it's not too bad! **

**and YES. I finally got awesome betas so i made a few changes and added a few things here and there on the previous chapters. so if you're extremely bored, you can always go back to read them if you want! haha  
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**thank you guys for reviewing! they mean a lot =)  
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**THANK YOU TO MAGICIS-MIGHT FROM TUMBLR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**REVIEWS = UPDATES!  
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	13. Chances

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 13**

**.**

Ginny grabbed a handful of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from Harry and stuffed it in her mouth, her eyes locked on number five as he threw the quaffle into the highest loop.

"Yes!" she, Harry, and Ron yelled together.

Ginny laughed happily, clapping her hands. Her eyes drifted away from the Quidditch match and landed on her friend, her excitement deflating as she watched Hermione check her muggle watch for the third time that hour.

"Hermione," she said in warning, "I will not hesitate to hex that watch off your wrist if you're not enjoying yourself. You're not even trying, for Merlin's sake."

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Gin." She tucked her hand in her lap and sighed. "All right, fine. Besides, I have an hour left so I'm sure Aidan's doing fine."

"That's right." Ginny nodded in encouragement. "Nott would have definitely let you know if something was up, right?"

"Of course," Hermione agreed, feeling foolish for worrying, "you're right."

Ginny grinned, taking Hermione's hand and dragging her up. "Now, shut up and enjoy the Quidditch match. Our team is winning! George owes me five Galleons!"

Hermione burst out laughing, letting herself go for the first time in months.

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><p>.<p>

"Thank you so much, Narcissa," Theo sighed, gently handing her a sleeping Aidan. "I'll be quick, and come back before Hermione gets home."

Narcissa nodded. "Not to worry, dear. Hermione and I are on good terms now."

Theo grinned. "I know, that's why I asked Draco if you could watch him for a few minutes. Anyway, I should be going!"

With that, he apparated, leaving Narcissa alone with Aidan. She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled, tightening the blanket around him.

"Where's Theo?"

Narcissa turned to see a confused-looking Draco walking towards her. His eyes shifted to the baby in his mother's hands and immediately his lips curled into a smirk. He extended his arms to reach for Aidan, but Narcissa dodged his reach and walked away from him.

"He left a few minutes ago, Draco," Narcissa told him. "Although he has asked me to look after Aidan, I don't think Miss Granger would approve if I just hand over Aidan, just like that."

Draco scoffed, taking a seat on the sofa, Narcissa following. "Mother, as the baby's father, don't you think I have the right –"

"For Merlin's sake, Draco," Narcissa snapped, carefully placing Aidan on the sofa. "You can't even call your own son by his own name. His name is _Aidan_, not just _the baby._"

Draco scowled. "Mother, please."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry dear, but you have to learn how to respect Hermione and Aidan first before she and I can learn to trust you with Aidan."

He watched as she folded the blankets securely around Aidan's body, causing the baby to squirm. Aidan's eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times as he scanned around him. His eyes landed on Narcissa and then on Draco. Aidan blinked again, wriggled and began to cry.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetheart," Narcissa cooed, lifting Aidan up and rocking him gently. "It's all right."

Aidan kept crying. He struggled against his grandmother's arms, making Narcissa adjust her hold on him. Aidan angled his body towards Draco, staring at him. He lifted his tiny arms and stretched towards him, his face red and wet.

Draco's eyes widened. _Wait... does that mean the baby wants _me_ to hold him?_

Draco and Aidan continued staring at each other. Narcissa couldn't help but notice the exchange between the two boys and decided to try something.

"Do you still want to hold him?" she asked, scooting closer to her son.

Aidan quieted down, his arms still reaching for Draco. When he sensed Draco's hesitation, he began to cry again, only this time harder.

However, Draco didn't move. Narcissa could see the confliction going on behind her son's eyes. She could tell he was confused about his feelings. She knew he was trying to get to know his son, but he also that he didn't know how to do so without having to become the hot headed, short tempered man that he was.

"Draco?" Narcissa asked softly.

"He's crying." Draco frowned, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can –"

"Just try. You said you wanted to get to know him, now here's your first chance."

He blinked and glanced at his mother before looking back at Aidan, clearing his throat and nodding. _Merlin, this is it_. _This is the first time I actually get to hold the baby_. _My own son, Aidan._

"All right," he murmured, lifting his hand up.

Narcissa gently placed Aidan in Draco's lap, and watched as he curled his hands protectively around Aidan. To both of their surprise, Aidan stopped crying. He looked up at his father's face and yawned, placing his head on Draco's chest.

Narcissa smiled inwardly. She relaxed on her seat and sighed, watching Draco holding the baby with care. She could tell that he was trying. That was always a good first step.

.

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><p>.<p>

"Draco, you've been holding Aidan for nearly fifteen minutes!" Narcissa laughed, reaching for the baby. "Let me hold him now, dear. He needs to be fed."

"No," Draco said, one of his hands softly caressing the baby's cheek. "It's okay, mother. Let me do it, please?"

Narcissa sighed. "All right. Let me go and get the baby food from the bag Theo gave me. I'll be quick, be careful with him."

Draco rolled his eyes as she left. He glanced down at the baby in his arms and couldn't help but smile. Aidan had been playing with Draco's tie the whole time, letting out a few utterances, and had even giggled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, but even he was chuckling.

"La la mah da," Aidan drooled, pulling sharply on Draco's tie.

"Ouch!" he winced, laughing. "Careful there, baby. That hurts you know."

However, Aidan continued to pull, not caring about how uncomfortable he was making the older blonde.

Draco swallowed hard as he tried to assess what was going on around him. He tilted his head to one side as he watched Aidan. He could feel a mixture of emotions running through him, yet he couldn't identify what they were.

"Strange," Draco murmured under his breath.

Aidan looked up at the sound of his father's voice and he too mumbled something, his finger reaching up to touch Draco's lips, pinching them slightly.

Draco gently nipped Aidan's fingers and laughed when the baby let out a short giggle. "You are such a weird little boy."

Aidan drooled.

"And nasty," Draco laughed, using his sleeves to wipe the wetness from Aidan's face. He shook his head and continued rocking him. Without thinking, he brought one of Aidan's hands to his lips and kissed it.

He didn't know what came over him when he did it. It was impulsive and it felt... just right. He couldn't help but watch the baby and feel... _something_.

What was this? What was he feeling? Why did he have the urge to continue cradling this baby and protect him from harm? Before, Draco only cared about himself, but now? It was as if he wanted nothing more than to make sure this baby was safe and... happy.

It was unsettling, this feeling. Completely foreign to him.

But at the same time?

This was something he never felt before.

Blissful.

Content.

Peaceful.

Powerful.

"Aidan," Draco murmured, tightening his arms around him. Merlin, that felt right.

Aidan placed his hand on Draco's cheek before yawning and dropping his head on the crook of his father's. He gently rocked Aidan back and forth, letting the motion send him to sleep. He was glad that Astoria was visiting her friends; otherwise he wouldn't have the chance to be with Aidan like this. She would be the one to do it, seeing how much she adores the little baby. Since she was absent, he could finally get to know Aidan without anyone interrupting him.

He gave his son another gentle peck before he placed his cheek on top of Aidan's head and sighed. _What is happening to me?_

While his hold tightened around Aidan in a protective manner, he failed to notice his own mother and his friend hidden behind the doors, watching them with a knowing smile on their faces.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

When Hermione apparated inside her house, she sensed something was different. She dropped her bag in the armchair and walked over to the kitchen, gasping at the sight of Theo sitting on the chair and sleeping with his head on the table.

"Theo," she said softly, gently shaking him awake. "Theo, wake up!"

He mumbled a few incoherent words before comically sitting up, suddenly awake. "Merlin, what – Hermione!"

"Hey," Hermione snickered, "where's Aidan?"

Theo's eyes widened. "Aidan?"

She frowned at his confusion. "Yes. Aidan. My son. My son, who I asked you to watch over... where is he?"

He blinked a couple times before flashing a grin. "Oh, of course! Aidan! Well Hermione, you see –"

"Where is he?" she snapped, knowing something was up. Before he could answer, she rushed upstairs to Aidan's nursery and flung the door open. When she flipped the light switch, she gasped at the empty cradle.

"THEODORE FUCKING NOTT!"

Downstairs, the man in trouble winced.

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><p>.<p>

Draco sat on the sofa next to his mother, his left arm wrapped around Aidan and his right hand tightly grasped Aidan's.

"He looks just like you, you know," Narcissa said softly, watching as Draco caressed Aidan's hand with his thumb.

"Except that he has Granger's nose," Draco complained, but then he tapped the tip of it with a smirk.

"And thank Merlin that he doesn't have the Malfoy infamous pointed chin," Narcissa teased, wrapping her arm around Draco, who scowled.

"Mother," Draco sighed, his head resting on his mother's shoulder but his eyes trained on Aidan.

Narcissa frowned, noticing her son's sudden change.

"What is it, dear?" she asked. That behaviour was so unlike him. What was going through his head?

Draco opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He sighed, shaking his head, and continued to gaze at Aidan for a few more minutes before swallowing hard. "Mother… I don't want Gra-"

A sudden crack of apparition interrupted him, causing the both of them to look up.

"Get out of my way, Nott!" a shrill voice yelled.

"Hermione! Wait, listen to me!"

Draco noticed his mother stiffening.

Out of nowhere, Hermione burst through the door, into the living room, her face red with anger and her wand clutched tightly in her hand. When she spotted Draco holding Aidan, she gasped.

"Give him to me," she whispered.

"Hermione, listen," Theo said gently, "please –"

"Shut _up_," she spat. _How dare he? I trusted him!_

"Miss Granger," Narcissa said gently, getting up and cautiously walking towards her as if she was afraid she would spontaneously combust. "Please... can we talk about this?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. Please, tell Draco to give Aidan back to me."

A soft cry interrupted them. Hermione looked behind Narcissa and her eyes widen at the sight of Draco's arms wrapping around her son's body, murmuring something in his ear and gently cradling him.

"What's going on?" Hermione said in the calmest voice she could muster.

What was happening? Why was Draco holding Aidan like that? Why wasn't Aidan crying hysterically? Why was Narcissa letting him _near_ Aidan? And why the hell did Theo bring him _here_?

She felt a hand gently taking her arm and saw Narcissa nodding towards a room on the right.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not going to leave _him_ alone with Aidan." She looked back at Aidan and Draco and was shocked to see Draco holding him protectively.

_What the hell_? Did he think that s_he_ would harm Aidan?

"Hermione," Theo pleaded, "let us explain."

Draco looked up from the sleepy Aidan and stared right at Hermione. He swallowed hard and started to walk towards her, Narcissa and Theo watching in anticipation. He ignored them, his eyes focusing only on the mother of his child. Once he stopped in front of her, he expected her to slap him and he braced, but she remained quiet and stared back.

Sighing, he glanced back down at Aidan and… Hermione blinked at the action Draco had just done in front of her.

_Did... Did he just kiss Aidan softly on the forehead?_ Hermione was stunned. This was so unlike him, what was going on? Finally, Draco looked up at her and nodded, leaning towards her so she could take the baby from his arms.

Still angry but now more confused, she gently took Aidan in her arms and immediately engulfed him in a protective hug. She sighed with relief, kissing the snuffling baby on the head. "Oh, Aidan."

"Mother and I have already fed him the milk you gave Theo," Draco said flatly. He shoved his hand inside his pockets and shrugged. "He was only awake for about ten minutes before falling asleep again."

Hermione didn't know how to feel. Why was he being civil to her?

Not wanting to be rude, she nodded. "Thank you."

She couldn't help but notice the way Draco's eyes kept lingering on Aidan, as if he couldn't bear to not look at him.

Why was he looking at Aidan like that?

Draco blinked, and his expression was wiped off his face, being replaced with the sneer that he reserved only for Hermione.

"Whatever." He gave her another glare before leaving them alone.

What the hell was going on? Hermione was so confused. She didn't know what to think.

"Hermione," Theo started, nudging her arm, "I know you're probably extremely pissed off right now –"

"You have no idea."

"But, please, let us explain everything."

"Where's Astoria?" Hermione asked, noticing her absence.

"Oh, she's with Blaise," Narcissa said nonchalantly. "She needed to pick out new bridesmaid's dresses at the shop he works in."

"Right," Hermione mumbled. It was so awkward, she just wanted to leave.

"Please, Hermione," Narcissa said softly, "just hear us out before you leave."

Hermione looked at Narcissa and Theo for a few moments, contemplating whether she should sit down and listen to whatever excuse they had, or just leave.

"Fine," she huffed, walking towards the sofa, Aidan still in her arms, "tell me."

Theo sighed. "First of all, it was my idea. When you told me that you needed someone to watch over Aidan, I asked Narcissa if she wanted to be part of my plan."

"What plan?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"I..." Theo hesitated before sighing. "All right, I already knew that Draco was the father of Aidan."

"How did you know?" she asked furiously, looking at Narcissa and giving her a questioning look.

"No," Theo laughed nervously, noticing her look, "no, Hermione, I knew because it was so obvious that day we were at Diagon Alley. I mean, come on, Aidan looks so much like Draco!"

"Malfoy isn't the only man in the world with blonde hair and grey eyes, you know!" Hermione snapped, causing Aidan to squirm in his sleep.

"Plus, I saw the way Draco was looking at Aidan that time," Theo said. "It was strange. So, I put two and two together."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with your so-called plan?"

"Well, I knew that Draco wanted to get to know Aidan, because Narcissa told me." He shot Narcissa a glance. "So, I told her that this would be a great chance for Draco to do so! See, my plan was to have him realise that maybe having Aidan isn't so bad as he thinks, and that he would probably learn to... to maybe... well, you know –"

"To love him, Hermione," Narcissa interrupted, cutting off Theo's stuttering. "For Draco to learn to love Aidan."

Hermione stared at them in silence before bursting into laughter. After a while, she quieted down, seeing Aidan shifting in his sleep. "You're joking. Really, you two. Draco Malfoy? Love? Rubbish."

"I beg to differ," Narcissa said, feeling insulted. "I mean, my son may not be the most expressive –"

"You've no idea what he did to me and Aidan before, do you?" Hermione snapped back, feeling her anger rise again.

"She's right, though," Theo said, not wanting another fight to arise. "While Draco was watching Aidan, Narcissa and I watched over him."

"You should have seen him," Narcissa sighed. "He was completely different –"

"You should have seen Aidan too!" Theo added. "He was crying until Draco held him. It was really great –"

"Draco immediately took to the father role, it even surprised me." Narcissa smiled, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I've never seen him act like that before," Theo agreed enthusiastically. "It was as if he'd seen the light –"

Hermione rolled her eyes, laughing. "What? 'Seen the light!' Please."

"But it's true!" Narcissa pleaded, squeezing her shoulder. "Hermione, all I'm asking is please, please give him another chance."

''No," Hermione said, moving out of Narcissa's grip. "No. I gave him a chance and he didn't want to take it –"

"Yes, he's a bloody moron!" Theo snapped. "We all were, back when we were at Hogwarts, but _I've_ changed, haven't I?"

"That doesn't mean he can change too!" Hermione argued. "There's no way. There's too much bad blood between us."

"How about we compromise?" Narcissa offered. "That way, you both win."

Hermione sighed. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

"What if you bring Aidan here again and watch Draco with him?" Narcissa suggested. "You can watch him, stay close to him, and make sure he's doing everything right. At the same time, Draco would be happy that you're giving him a chance."

"Everyone deserves another chance, Hermione," Theo said softly.

"Not everyone," Hermione mumbled under her breath.

Theo ignored her and continued. "You should have seen him. He looked..." His facial expression changed comically as he tried to find the right word. "He looked happy, almost."

Hermione looked down at Aidan and was surprised to see he had awakened, staying silent as if he was listening to their conversation. She smiled down at him and grinned when Aidan grabbed a few of her curls, playing with them on his fingers.

Sighing, she looked up and reluctantly nodded. "I'll think about it, yeah?"

Narcissa beamed. "Thank you, Hermione. Please feel free to write to me. Thank you."

Hermione smiled with pursed lips. "I said I'll think about it, I'm not saying I agree just yet."

''Well, knowing you, that usually means yes." Theo grinned, pinching Aidan's hand, causing the baby to let out an annoyed gurgle.

"I'm still mad at you," Hermione muttered, slapping Theo's hand away. She took Aidan's palm and kissed it. "I mean, how could you? I trusted you to take care of Aidan, and what do you do? You take him to see the one person I wanted him to stay away from."

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Theo sighed. "I was just tired of seeing Draco like –"

"You're a really good friend to him, Theo," Hermione interrupted, looking up and smiling. "I hope he knows that. But I'm still angry."

"He really isn't all that bad." He shrugged. "You should get to know him properly."

_ I already know what kind of guy he is,_ Hermione thought to herself, before nodding. "Okay." After a long pause, she spoke again. "Well I should go. I need to change Aidan and get ready for bed.''

"Thank you again for thinking about it, Hermione," Narcissa repeated. "Really. Thanks."

"I didn't say yes yet." Hermione said again, apparating away before Narcissa could reply.

.

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><p>.<p>

"Draco?" Narcissia called, knocking softly on his door.

The door opened immediately, revealing a tired-looking Draco.

"Are they gone?" he asked, leaning against the door frame. He kept an expressionless look on his face, but his mother knew better.

"I talked her into thinking about bringing Aidan back," she said hopefully. "You might get to see him again."

Draco blinked before scoffing. "Right. As if I care if I ever see that half blood again."

Narcissa refrained from rolling her eyes. "Do cut the act, Draco. You may act like that towards her but I know you. I know what you're really thinking and I know what you felt when you held him."

"And how would you know?" Draco snapped stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"Because," Narcissa shrugged, "as a new mother, I felt the same way when I first held you."

Draco continued to stare at her before finally, _finally,_ the cruel blank look on his face crumpled into the emotions he really was feeling. His eyes dropped to the floor, and his shoulders sagged.

Narcissa immediately wrapped her arms her son. "Draco, don't worry. She's a great woman; she knows what the right thing to do is."

"Oh, mother," Draco shook his head, wrapping his arms around her in comfort, "she hates me."

"She's not the type of person to carry hate," Narcissa said with a sigh. "Just wait."

_You've no idea what I've done to her, _Draco thought miserably. "I've done things to her, mother. Bad things."

"She'll forgive you."

Draco wanted to shout "_No! No because I was horrible to her and her so." _Instead, he sighed. "I hope so."

"She will," Narcissa said, rolling her eyes at Draco for being dramatic. He was always such a dramatic person. "By the way, what was it that you were going to say?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, leaning away from her to get a better view of her face.

"Before Hermione came here. You wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh," Draco mumbled, "I just... I was just going to say... I don't want Granger to take Aidan away from me."

Narcissa watched at Draco disentangled himself from her embrace. He walked over to his bed and sat on it.

"Whatever you've done to her, you have to take it upon yourself to do something about it," she sighed, taking hold of the door handle. "I got her to think about letting you see Aidan again. Now it's up to you to make her see how much you love that boy."

Draco looked up in surprise, but she had already closed the door, leaving him alone in his room.

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><p>.<p>

**THANKS TO SIRIUSLYHOLLY FOR BEING AN AWESOME BETA!**

**REVIEW = UPDATE! ;)**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO READ/FAVORITING/REVEWING THIS STORY!  
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	14. Decisions, Decisions

**AN- No I don't own the characters**

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 14**

**.**

Draco, still lying in bed, folded his arms behind his head and turned his face to the right to watch the dust particles drifting in and out of the sunbeam that was piercing through the window.

He could hear birds chirping on the trees outside, but his mind kept him from getting out of bed. The past few days flashed through his mind and he didn't know what to do about it.

It had been nearly three days since he had seen or heard from Aidan and Granger. He wanted to see Aidan again. But the thing was... how? There was no doubt that Hermione Granger would not hesitate to hex him out of her and their son's life. But that was the thing... it was _their_ son. Not just hers. He had the right to see Aidan if he wanted to, didn't he? What would she do if he just stopped by out with no warning and said that she was denying him his rights as a father?

Then again... by his actions in the past, he didn't have the right to even call himself a father. She had made that very clear to him.

Draco groaned loudly, irritated by his thoughts. He threw the blankets aside and sat up, rubbing his face with his hands and letting out another tired groan.

_Knock knock knock!_

"Draco! Mate, are you awake?"

He growled in annoyance, burying his head in the pillow. "No, I'm fucking asleep. Leave me alone!"

He strained his ears to hear the person on the other side of the door.

_Knock knock!_

"Open the door, Draco." Theo's voice reached his ears. "I know you're lying. If you were asleep you wouldn't have answered back."

Draco scowled at his friend's idiocy. "What do you want, Theo?"

"Open the door!" Theo shouted, pounding on the door. "Why is it magically locked anyway? Hold on a minute, are you wanking in there?"

Draco let out a string of curses before shooting out of his bed and throwing the door open. "You idiot,my mother could be only a few feet away!"

Theo grinned, "Only joking. No need to get all defensive. Besides, Narcissa is downstairs with Astoria at the moment,talking about some boring women stuff."

Without waiting for permission, he walked inside his friend's room and threw himself on the bed. "Ah, no wonder you didn't want to get up. This shit is comfortable!"

Draco glared at him, and sat on the armchair chair. "What do you want?''

"Good morning to you, too.."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Oh wait, no. My apologies, it's the afternoon. Good afternoon, Draco –''

Draco growled. "Theo, what the hell are you doing here?"

Theo smirked, lifting his feet to rest on the bedside table. "Fix yourself up, Draco. We're going to see your son."

Draco stiffened. "What?"

"We're going to see your son."

"Granger is okay with me seeing him?" Draco asked doubtfully.

Theo opened his mouth to answer but changed his mind, sighing loudly . "Well, no. But I'm going to help you."

Draco rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Then fuck it. Granger will never let me see my son again."

"Well, not with that attitude." Theo shrugged. "Seriously, if you're going to try to prove to her that you're a changed man –"

Draco snorted.

"Then you need to get up, shower and change because honestly, you fucking stink like –"

"You prick!"

"Listen, do you want see your kid or not?" Theo asked, irritated by the interruptions. "Because if you do, then shut up and listen to me, for once in your pathetic life!"

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_**The previous night**_

"No."

"What?"

"No,'' Hermione snapped, tucking a sleeping Aidan in with a blanket. "My answer is no."

Theo gawked at her. "But you told Narcissa that you would think about it!"

"Yes, I have thought about it," Hermione interrupted him, pushing him out of the way and putting a silencing charm on the room. She ushered Theo out of the room and sighed. " I really think it's a bad idea for Malfoy to be so close to Aidan."

Theo shook his head in disagreement as he followed her downstairs into the living room. "But come on! I mean, you saw how he was towards Aidan! Well, you haven't seen him when you were out, but Narcissa and I were there. I'm telling you, Hermione, he was different!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and threw herself on the sofa. "I don't know, Theo. I'm really not comfortable with Aidan being with Malfoy. Have you forgotten about all those things he did to me and my friends?"

"Hermione, we've been over this before..." Theo groaned. "You really need to stop being stubborn and stop with this pride thing."

She bristled. "It's not about my bloody pride!"

"This is about Aidan," he continued, ignoring her. "What will Aidan think when he gets older? Don't you think he'll be curious about his other parent? How will he feel when he finds out you've been hiding him from his father? When I was with Draco that day... you should have seen him. It was as if he were a completely different person."

"Merlin, you keep saying that! But he's not," Hermione sighed. "He's still Draco Malfoy."

"How about this," Theo tried, "how about you spend some time with Draco?"

Hermione made a face. "Not likely."

"No, hear me out," he said. "If you want, your friends and I can come along too. That way, we can keep an eye on things. Hell, we can even bring Astoria and Blaise along, if you like. But you can just focus on Draco, and what he's like when he's with Aidan. You'll be there too, I mean, it's not like you're going to leave Aidan alone with him.."

Hermione bit her bottom lip and sighed, feeling defeated. "I'll think about it again Theo, but –"

Theo beamed in satisfaction. "Brilliant!"

"Now, I didn't say yes yet! But if I do agree to meeting, and he messes up this time, then I'm done."

"Duly noted," Theo said with a grin, getting up and heading towards the door. "I'll let Draco know!"

Before Hermione could remind him again that she didn't actually say yes yet, he was gone.

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><p>.<p>

_**Two days later**_

_Knock knock knock!_

Hermione paused at the sentence she was proofreading and looked up at the door. "Come in."

Pushing the papers to the side with a tired sigh, she watched as the doorknob turned to the left, before the door swung open to reveal the one man she had never wanted to see again. Her face was drowned in disgust just by looking at him.

"What do you want?" she spat, grabbing her wand just in case. She hadn't seen him for quite a few days now, what did he want?

Draco halted just inside the door and scowled. "Easy, Granger." He raised a packet he was holding and gestured towards it. "Kingsley sent me with another packet for you to look over."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, motioning for him to come closer. "Where is the other assistant who gave me the last packet?"

Draco shrugged and gently placed the paperwork on her desk. "His shift ended an hour ago."

"Oh," she mumbled, eyeing the packet with reluctance. "Well, if that's all, then you can leave now."

Draco disliked being told what to do. However, Theo told him that if he wants to see Aidan again, he has to be – Draco inwardly winced at this – nice to her. Or at least be on his best behaviour around her.

So, with only a few seconds of hesitation, he swallowed his pride and nodded before turning around to walk away. "All right. Have a good day, Granger."

To say that Hermione was shocked was an understatement. That was such a civilised thing of him to say... No, '_don't tell me what to do, Mudblood'_? None of that, '_shut the hell up, you filth'_ nonsense? How odd…

Before Hermione could voice her suspicions, a sharp cry startled her. She gasped in surprise and shot out of her chair to squat down towards the sound.

Draco stiffened at that familiar noise and dropped his hand away from the doorknob. He whirled around to see the top of Hermione's head peaking from behind the desk.

What the hell? He frowned, cautiously taking a step closer to her. "Granger?"

He could hear her speaking softly. "It's okay, darling. Was I being too loud? Did Mummy wake you up?"

She gently unhooked the restraint on his baby seat and placed her hands under his arms to lift him up. "There, there, baby," she said softly, rubbing his back as she held on to him securely. She finally stood up and jumped at the sight of Draco's presence still in the room.

"What are you still doing here?" she snapped quietly, gently rubbing Aidan's back for comfort.

Draco blinked.

_Merlin… he's... he's here. Aidan's here!_ Draco could feel his heartbeat increasing with both excitement and anticipation, just by seeing that little tiny boy who looked just like him. Fuck, he hadn't seen him in nearly a week and now he was here...

"I, uh... I heard a sound –''

"It was Aidan, obviously," Hermione interrupted. "Now leave, please."

Draco, still confused and surprised, shook his head. "No, wait a second. Why did you bring him to work? Does Shacklebolt know?"

"Of course he knows!" Hermione snapped, feeling insulted. "I asked permission first, of course. Besides, there was no one else I could call to babysit him."

"Astoria or my mother could have –"

"Don't start, Malfoy," she hissed, her arms tightening on a squirming Aidan. "Just stop it and leave now before I call Kingsley."

Draco took another step closer but paused when Hermione took a step back. What, did she think he was going to hurt them _both_?

"Granger, what –"

"Get out of here!" Hermione growled, not wanting to hear a word he was saying. "Merlin, Malfoy, just leave me and Aidan alone for once, will you?"

Aidan squirmed against his mother's hold and turned his body around, seeing Draco for the first time. He stopped moving for only a second before letting out another cry. He extended his tiny arms towards Draco, begging for his father's hold.

Draco could feel that now-familiar tug in his chest, but remained still. "Granger, can I just –"

"Leave!" she snapped. "I told you, I never want you near Aidan and –"

"Ahhh!" Aidan interrupted them with a scream, his hands stretched wide as he tried to reach for Draco again.

Hermione looked down at her son. She didn't know what to feel. Theo had told her that Aidan liked Draco but she didn't know what to believe anymore. The sight in front of her told her that he was telling the truth, but her head was saying otherwise. After all Draco has done to her? No way.

Why should he get to know Aidan when he didn't even want him in the first place? Why was Aidan so connected to Draco when she was the one who had been taking care of him since day one?

Now her hold on her child was becoming slack as Aidan continued to move and squirm, increasing his screams and cries.

"Granger, look at me." Draco knew that Hermione was having a hard time just by holding Aidan,, but Merlin! Couldn't she see that he just wanted to _hold_ him?

Hermione glanced at Draco and was shocked to see him looking at Aidan with such..._ Oh, Aidan keeps moving!_

"Granger." Draco took another step closer and lifted his hands up in surrender to show he meant no threat. He felt like such a fool doing it, but if that was what it took to show her that he meant no harm this time, then fuck it.

Hermione ignored him and continued to speak softly to the squirming baby. Why couldn't Malfoy just go away? When he wasn't here, she and Aidan were doing fine!

"Granger," Draco started again, "_please_."

Finally, Hermione stopped and looked up at him. _What the hell? Did he just say please?_

She saw a few Ministry employees stealing a look inside the office as they passed her door, and she inwardly cursed Draco for forgetting to close the door. Before she could think of anything else, Malfoy stood inches in front of her, blocking the nosy co-workers' views. His hands were still raised and his eyes begged her to let him this chance.

_That's right, beg. You had better start begging, because you don't deserve anything, not now._

Aidan placed a hand on Draco's chest, but to Hermione's surprise, Draco remained frozen. His eyes still searched her face, waiting for her permission.

_Now's your chance, Hermione._ She thought of what Theo said. _Just stay close to him._

She sighed and glared at Draco's shoulder. She didn't know if she would be able to do it... She didn't know if she could... Flashes of him insulting her and her friends kept buzzing through her head...

"Hermione?"

Her eyes snapped to his, surprise clearly etched on her face. He was asking permission still, ignoring Aidan's impatient cries. He could have easily snatched Aidan away from her if he wanted to, but he hadn't. He was waiting for her to show her agreement. Swallowing hard to prevent her mind changing, she leaned towards Draco and nodded.

Immediately Draco's face transformed into a smile. He gently prised Aidan from her grip and mimicked her moves by whispering in the baby's ear and rubbing his back for comfort.

Right away, Aidan's cries died down and turned into sniffles. He lifted his head to stare at his father's face while he lifted his fingers to pull on Draco's lips.

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Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Ouch." Draco winced playfully, causing Aidan to give him a toothless grin.

Who was this man? This couldn't be Draco Malfoy, the bastard who had been treating her like shit since her first year at Hogwarts.

No way.

Aidan pulled on Draco's hair, earning a yelp from him as a response.

"That hurts," Draco chuckled, removing the tiny fingers from his hair. Aidan ignored him and continued to pull. "Jeez, Aidan, I told you that it hurt and yet you're doing it again."

"Good for you, darling," Hermione teased, rubbing Aidan's back. "Pull on his hair some more."

Draco rolled his eyes, but kept his gaze on the baby, a slight quirk on the corner of his mouth. Hermione sat on the edge of her desk, watching them.

It felt so strange seeing Malfoy like that... It was if he was happy... She still couldn't wrap her mind around it, even though she could see it with her own eyes. This was totally unlike the Draco Malfoy she knew. This was someone completely different.

"Did you eat or drink anything before you got here, Malfoy?" she asked, stifling a laugh when Aidan suddenly pulled on Draco's ear.

"No," he said, rubbing his ear and playfully glaring at Aidan, who giggled back. "Why? Are you offering, Granger?"

"No," she snapped in annoyance, "it's just strange. You don't think someone could have slipped you a potion or something?"

Draco frowned and shook his head. "I didn't eat anything today, Granger. So if you're trying to ask me to lunch with you and Aidan, I'd be glad to go."

Hermione bristled. "That's not what I'm asking.

"I know, I know." He smirked, squeezing Aidan's fingers. "Your mother needs to take that stick out of her arse, right, Aidan?"

"Hey!" Hermione snapped, clearly annoyed. ''If you're going to act like a git again, then give him back to me.''

Draco glared at her but kept his mouth closed, giving the rest of his attention to Aidan.

"This doesn't change anything," Hermione said clearly, watching him.

She watched his reaction; his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard, and his eyes shifting downwards as if an unpleasant thought had crossed his mind.

"Whatever," he muttered, absently straightening Aidan's rumpled clothes.

"I'm serious."

''And I'm serious, Granger," Draco snapped back, throwing a glare at her. "I know I've been a bit inappropriate to you –"

"Inappropriate?" Hermione cut him with a scoff.

Draco continued on. "– and I know you fucking hate me as much as I hate you, but I'm sorry, all right?"

Hermione's eyes widened.

Draco, too, stopped abruptly, as if he was also surprised at the sudden apology. It fell out of his mouth so quickly that it was too late for him to pull it back in. He gave her another dirty look to hide his shock before dropping his eyes again in humiliation.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, his grey eyes lifting to Aidan's. Some sort of emotion was swimming underneath his gaze as he looked at him. One that Hermione couldn't quite place. "But I want to be part of his life, understand?"

Hermione remained quiet, too stunned to say anything.

Mistaking her silence as a negative answer, he growled. "If you're going to try to stop me from seeing him again, Granger, I swear to Merlin that I will do everything in my power to fight back."

Hermione blinked, anger starting to replace her surprise. She took a step closer to him and hissed. "Shut up. You don't get to threaten me like that, you arsehole. If I want to keep Aidan away from a pathetic, imbalanced man such as you, then I will. You don't get to do anything about it."

Draco's arms wrapped around Aidan securely, his lips curled into a snarl, but he kept his silence. Aidan, as if sensing the tension his father was displaying, placed his hands on Draco's face. Hermione was taken aback by her son's behaviour and how rapidly Draco's demeanour relaxed just by Aidan's touch, but made sure not to show it on her face.

"But he's my son," he said quietly, stroking Aidan's hands with his fingers.

"And he's _my_ son," she answered back icily. "You were never there in the beginning. I gave you so many chances and you messed them up. I don't want Aidan to get to know his father, and then never see him again, or have his heartbroken by you. It's just not fair."

Draco wanted to throw something in anger, preferably in her direction.

"Tell me a good reason why I should give you another chance?" Hermione asked sullenly..

Draco opened his mouth to answer but closed it when no answer came to him. He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. Why was she being so harsh on him?

"I'm sorry," That was all he can say.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know if sorry can cut it, Malfoy," she murmured.

Draco shook his head, letting out a short, sharp laugh. He pulled Aidan closer to him and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on his forehead, not bothering to say anything else. It felt as if heavy pounds of regret were being pushed against him, burying him, shortening his breaths. That feeling was another one that was foreign to him and he didn't know what to make of it.

Giving her a quick short nod, he gently leaned towards her, motioning for her to take Aidan back. With no hesitation, she quickly wrapped her arms around the baby and sighed with relief when Aidan placed his head on the crook of her neck, relaxed and tired once more.

Draco watched them both for a second and leaned down to kiss the top of Aidan's head again in a fatherly manner. It still shocked Hermione to see that side of him, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She frowned at Draco when he straightened up.. Catching her eye and nodding again, he turned around to leave, closing the door behind him without another word.

She didn't know if her surprise was because he didn't take his chance to threaten her again, or if it was because the look he unconsciously gave her was telling her that he was nearly giving up.

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><p>.<p>

"Do you mind if Blaise comes over again, Draco?" Astoria asked kindly, placing her hand on his knee.

Draco glared at her action. "I don't care."

She flashed him a smile and sat up straighter, taking a spoonful of soup.

"You spend a lot of time with him these days," he said thoughtfully. "Why is that?"

He didn't fail to notice the way she stiffened. How curious...

"We're friends," Astoria said with a shrug. "Just like how you and Theo spend time together sometimes, so do Blaise and I. Is that bad?"

"Theo and I are best mates," Draco told her dryly. "Are you going to tell me you and Blaise are the best of friends just like Potter and Granger? Or is it the same as the Weasel and Granger?"

"I don't know what you're taking about."

"No?" Draco accused. "No lingering sexual tension between two former lovers, is there?"

Astoria's eyes widened in surprise but she quickly snapped back. "Listen, just because you've had a horrible day, it doesn't mean that you have to contaminate my day with whatever the hell you've been through."

Draco sneered. "Fuck you, slut."

"No, thank you." She daintily dabbed the corners of her lips and got out of her seat. "If you excuse me, I have better company to be with than you."

Draco's palms were starting to hurt from how tight his fist was clenched. It wasn't until Astoria finally left the dining room that he relaxed with a sigh.

"Mister Malfoy?"

Draco rubbed the ache from his hand and turned to see his house-elf standing by the doorway. "What is it, Elf?"

Elf bowed down slightly. "You have a visitor, sir."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why does Theo have you announce his arrival every time he gets the opportunity?" Before the house-elf could answer, he sighed. "Never mind, Elf, don't answer that. Let him in."

Elf bowed down again and rushed out.

Groaning, he leant against his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"That is so you," an irritated voice broke out. "You couldn't even give your house-elf a proper name. Who names their house elf, 'Elf'?"

Draco groaned again. "For your information, Granger, I had him when I was about Aidan's age. When I was old enough to talk, I couldn't say 'house-elf', so I kept calling him and the others 'Elf'. Since then he only answers to that name, so don't blame me."

Hermione snorted, folding her arms. "Well?"

"Well what?" Draco snapped. "And what the fuck are you doing here?"

"If you're going to keep being an arse then I might as well leave," she said angrily, turning around.

Hesitating for only a second, Draco growled. "Damn it, Granger! Wait!"

Hermione paused and faced him. "Are you going to let me sit or not?"

Draco stared at her. What the hell was her problem? Did she need some assistance to sit down herself? Glaring at her, he pulled up a chair and nodded towards it. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Sit down."

Hermione rolled her eyes but strode towards the chair and sat down. Still confused with why she was even in the Manor, Draco stared, waiting for an explanation.

"Where's uh... Where's Aidan?" He suddenly noticed their son's absence.

"With the Weasley's and Harry." Hermione waved her hand nonchalantly, as if having his son in the presence of those idiots shouldn't bother him. "I'm here to talk to you."

He crossed his arms. "So, talk, filth. I don't have all day."

"Cut the act, Malfoy," Hermione snapped. "It's just me in here."

"Go to hell then," he muttered, glaring at the floor. "I don't want to see you."

Hermione was starting to feel her anger increasing, but pushed it down by closing her eyes and counting silently in her head.

When she opened her eyes again, she continued in a cool tone. "You know, acting like this isn't convincing me to let you see Aidan again."

Draco's eyes snapped to hers.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to see Aidan again?"

He had no time for this game. "Stop it, Granger. Stop playing with me."

She raised her eyebrows, a smirk placed on her lips. "Who said I'm playing? I'm only asking. Do you want to see him again? Because if you don't..."

"You know I do, Granger," Draco said quietly. "I want to see him again."

His gaze was becoming so intense that Hermione had to look down at the floor. Merlin, what was she even doing here? This was such a bad idea... She was going to smack Theo in the face the next time she saw him...

"Please," Draco said, interrupting her thoughts, "please, Granger, can I see him again?"

Hermione stared at him, contemplating.

Draco, hating this feeling she was giving him, sat up quickly and leaned towards her. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you and I'm –"

"You keep apologising, but how do I know that you really mean it? I don't trust you. I just want to bloody throw a curse just by looking at your vile face but – Don't you bloody dare interrupt me!" Hermione shouted, noticing him about to cut her off. "I swear, I will go straight to Kingsley and have you arrested for slapping me!"

"I never hit you!" Draco snapped, getting up and striding towards her. "Granger, I have never –"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Hermione screamed. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes to calm herself.

_Calm down, Hermione. Act professional. Act professional. Be mature. Act professional._

When she opened her eyes, she glared at him but kept her tone neutral. "You called Aidan a monster. You slapped me across the face, don't think I've forgotten."

Draco let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding as he went over what she said. Hermione could read the emotions displaying on his face, but the one that stuck out the most was the horror flickering in his wide grey eyes as he stared at her.

Did he do that? He remembered insulting her and being a bastard and everything, but he couldn't remember actually _hitting_ her... No. Short flashes of memories he could remember... but in none of them he actually hit her. No. He's not... He's not an abuser; not a physical abuser, anyway. He doesn't... he promised himself he wouldn't act like his father... that was not possible, she must be lying!

"I didn't! Granger, I –"

Hermione scoffed. "So, tell me why I should trust you."

Draco tried to swallow down the bile rising from his stomach. Shaking his head, he took a step closer to her, speaking softly. "I don't remember any of this. I – I mean, I remember not wanting the baby, but that was a mistake. I didn't mean it! I'm sorry...and if I did anything to have hurt you in a physical way, then I am so sorry."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his behaviour. "How can I trust you?" she repeated.

Draco looked at her sadly, shaking his head. "You can't. But I'll do anything to earn your trust if you let me see Aidan."

She studied him, trying to see if there was anything she could pinpoint that would show that he was lying. To her surprise, he looked completely honest. But still... she felt resentment and anger.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, taking a step back, and dropping his head to stare at the ground.

"If you ever hurt Aidan, or even me, Malfoy, I will not hesitate to hex your pathetic arse off."

Draco sucked in a deep breath as his head snapped up to stare at her. Did that mean...?

"And if you ever lay a hand on me again, I will go to Kingsley. I won't even tell you, I'll just go straight to him and have him arrest you," Hermione said sharply, letting him know how serious she was. "Do you understand me?"

Normally, Draco would snap back and tell her to go fuck herself, but he was smart enough to not say anything. He didn't care; all he wanted was to see Aidan again.

"Yes, I understand."

Hermione swallowed hard, wondering if she had made the right choice. "Okay. I'm taking Aidan to a Muggle park tomorrow. If you're serious about being there for Aidan, come over to my house in the afternoon."

Without waiting for his reply, she turned around to walk away. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts and emotions. Did she do the right thing, giving him a chance? Was he being serious? How could he not remember slapping her?

She felt a calloused hand grab her wrist, causing her to stop abruptly. Sighing, she turned around and glared at the hand with disgust. "Get your hands off me, Malfoy."

"Thank you."

She looked up at him, unsure. "What?"

"Thank you, Granger." Draco gently released her wrist. "I'll see you and Aidan tomorrow."

She bit her bottom lip, still unsure of her decision. "Yes. See you."

Draco, suddenly feeling elated, smirked as he watched her rush to leave the Manor. He closed the door behind her and turned around to lean against it.

Yes! Finally! Finally, he could be sure to see his son again.

After a few seconds of reliving what had just happened, he pushed himself off and strode towards the kitchen, throwing himself on a chair beside the kitchen table.

Despite his sudden excitement, something else was bothering him... why couldn't he remember those things Granger had accused him of?

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><p>.<p>

**SHOUT OUT TO CHESIRECAT23 FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CHARACTERIZATIONS.**

**MY REVIEWERS: you're awesome and thank you for reading and reviewing! =D**

_**THANKS TO SIRIUSLYHOLLY FOR BEING AN AWESOME BETA!**_

** review=update! lol  
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	15. Try

**Disclaimer: no i don't own any characters **

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 15**

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Hermione came to a halt and kicked the brake to keep the pushchair from moving. Once she was sure it was locked into position, she walked around until she was in front of Aidan.

"Hey, baby!" she cooed, a smile brightening her face. Bending down to unbuckle his safely belts, hooked her hands under his arms to lift him up. "Boy, you're getting heavy, aren't you?" She adjusted her hold on him into a more comfortable position and started towards an empty swing.

With one arm wrapped securely around Aidan, she brought her other hand on one of the chains to pull herself up onto the swing. Thankfully, the swing she'd chosen wasn't too tall for her, so her foot still touched the ground, letting her swing herself. Once she was satisfied with her position, her arms still protecting Aidan, she glanced up at the sky and did something she hadn't done for quite a while.

She let herself go.

The early breeze was brushing against her face, and the sound of Aidan's giggles as she swung back and forth caused her to close her eyes in relaxation.

Merlin, this feels good. So, so good.

For a second, it felt as if she were a teenager again, who had just discovered what it was like to be carefree. No stress, no work, no drama, and especially no certain idiot.

Speaking of a certain idiot, where _was_ Malfoy?

She opened her eyes and let her gaze wander around the park, trying to catch that striking white-blond hair. Hmm, where was he? Didn't he want to see their son again? This was his final chance, after all, so he had better take advantage of it.

Not that he had ever taken advantage before, she thought savagely, keeping her movements on the swing steady. He was probably faking it all.

"I didn't know which park to go to."

Well, what do you know...?

Hermione stopped and turned her head to see Draco Malfoy saunter towards them, his hands shoved inside his pockets. He gave her a quick nod before smirking at Aidan. When the baby saw him, he blinked and stared for a few seconds before going back to squealing as Hermione swung them a little more.

"Are you happy to see me, Aidan?" Draco asked, lifting his hand to stroke the baby's cheek. He caught Hermione's eye and cleared his throat. "Granger."

_Wow, he actually came._ She carried on with her swinging and nodded back."Malfoy."

She could feel the atmosphere around them starting to become heavy with awkwardness. Great, now that he was here, what happened now?

"So, how did you find out about this park?" she asked, trying her best to stay civil and saying the first thing that came to her mind. By the look of confusion on his face, she explained. "You said you didn't know which park to go to."

Draco's face lit up with clarity. "Ah, I didn't. I actually Apparated in most major parks-"

"What?" Hermione gasped. "Anyone could have seen you! A _Muggle _could have seen you!"

He rolled his eyes as he settled onto the swing next to her. "Relax, Granger, I used the Disillusionment charm." He could tell she still wasn't satisfied with his method, so he tried to change the subject. "Would it be okay if I held Aidan?"

She raised an eyebrow, her grip tightening on Aidan and gave a mock laugh, "You're actually asking me for permission?"

He bit back an insult and reached for the baby."Well, can I?"

Hermione stopped swinging and glared at his waiting hands with distrust. Well, if they really wanted to start with a clean slate then they have to start little by little.

Sighing with reluctance, she stood up and walked towards him. She gently lowered her arms and immediately Aidan lifted his arms towards Draco, waiting for the next warm person to hold him.

Draco wrapped his arms securely on the baby and sighed with relief. "Thanks."

Her eyes still glued to them, Hermione took a few steps back and nodded. "Careful, he can be quite the squirmer when he wants to be let down."

Draco blinked and looked up at her in confusion. "Wait, he can crawl now?"

"Well, he is seven months old. He's just he's been scooting around on his bottom and rolling around the floor."

To her sheer surprise, Draco's face lit up with a genuine smile. He grinned and then chuckled. "I remember Mother telling me I used to roll around the kitchen floor, causing havoc for the house elves."

"Sounds adorable," Hermione said sarcastically. "Don't swing too fast, by the way."

Draco slowed his movements but continued to smirk. "I can't wait to see your first real crawl, Aidan."

"Theo's trying to teach him how to properly crawl," Hermione told him. "He's struggling a bit, but he's getting there."

Immediately, Draco's face darkened. "What?"

"What?" she repeated, noticing his change in demeanor.

Draco glared at her. "I don't want Theo near Aidan."

Hermione folded her arms. "Excuse me, but he happens to be a good friend of mine. Just like Harry and Ron are." She took Aidan gently into her own arms and glared at Draco.

"Potter and Weasley are no threat but –"

"Oh, so you think Theo is?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes as she sat back down on the swing.

Draco stood up straight, obviously still upset. He folded his arms and gave her a menacing look. "Granger, I don't want Aidan to be spending time with Theo for too long. Later he's going to think that Theo's the father!"

"Well, he has been a very good father figure, better than you have been."

She looked up to see his reaction and was shocked to see him just standing there, gawking at her. Normally, he would strike or push her around, but no. He was just staring at her with that... wait, was that a flash of hurt she just saw?

No, it couldn't be...

"I deserved that," Draco said quietly, glaring at the floor.

"What?" Merlin, she was confused.

Draco rolled his eyes and looked down at her. "I know I haven't been there for him... for both of you, actually. I'm sorry about that. But I'm here now and I want to try."

Ugh. What the bloody hell?

She knew he was trying, but Merlin! This was still too weird. She wished it was that easy, him suddenly changing his ways and views and actually being a good father. But no, this was reality. People couldn't change that fast...

She still didn't trust him.

"I know you are," she said, "but you can't tell me who Aidan can and cannot see, understand? If Theo was a very dangerous or – or, _murderous_ person, then yes, I understand. But he has been a good friend, and I trust him."

Draco was still upset and angry inwardly, for reasons he couldn't quite understand. Theo was a friend of his as well. Why was he having this current feeling? It was a little off, and slightly foreign to him.

Was it jealousy? Possibly, because the thought of Granger and Aidan by Theo's side, Theo watching Aidan grow older, and Aidan becoming closer to Theo was giving him an absurdly angry side effect.

But the thought that bothered him the most was Theo helping Granger out with everything. Him being there for her and –

"I said: do you understand?" Hermione interrupted his thoughts, her face scrunched up in annoyance.

Draco blinked but sneered. "I'm his father, Granger. I also have the right –"

" Just because you're his dad, it doesn't mean you have any legal rights. But yes, you are his father, which is why I am giving you another chance." She tried to keep her tone even in order to not upset Aidan. "I don't even know why I am. In fact, I know it was very foolish of me, so I can just go up to Kingsley right now if you're still acting like a fool and –"

"Are you blackmailing me?" Draco asked, glaring at her.

"Call it whatever you want, Malfoy.'' She shrugged. "But like I said, if you mess this up, you're gone for good."

Thousands of thoughts were rushing through his head along with negative emotions towards their situation. Closing his eyes to gather his thoughts as his breathing returned to normal, he sighed. Opening his eyes again, he shoved his hands inside his pockets and nodded.

"Okay." His breath rushed out with frustration. "Okay, fine. Listen, I don't want any trouble," he said. "I'm trying, Granger. I can't just be whoever you want me to be in a heartbeat."

"I know that," she said quietly, noticing Aidan falling asleep on her arms. She got up and gently placed him in the pushchair, strapping him in with the safety belts.

"I'm glad you're making the effort to even actually _try_, Malfoy. I mean,some fathers would not even want anything to do with their children. I'm glad you're trying... but I need some time too. I can't just forget about what you've done. I mean, you hit –"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Draco barked loudly, truly angry. "I've never done that!"

"Stop," she hissed, noticing people looking at them. "If you want to have a civilized conversation with me then we'll meet somewhere else. I'll have either Ron or Harry watch over Aidan for me, so we don't argue in front of him."

"Who said we were going to argue? I thought we were going to have a _civilized conversation_." Noticing the look of Hermione's face, he stopped and let out a rough sigh. "Fine. Whatever."

"I'll owl you." With that, she placed the hood on top of the pram to protect Aidan from the sunlight and pushed it out of the park, towards the pavement.

Glaring at Hermione's back, Draco stood still. He turned his head to look at the swings they had just occupied and rolled his eyes to skies. "Sod it."

Within seconds, he was jogging towards Hermione. "Granger! Wait!"

Surprised, Hermione stopped pushing the pram and turned to see Draco breaking into a sprint towards them. _What the hell?_

"I'll, uh... I'll walk you back home," Draco said breathlessly as he reached them, taking the pushchair and pushing it for her.

_Seriously, what the hell? Who is this man?_ This was not how she remembered him to be.

Draco turned his head to look at her and smirked. "Well? Are you coming or what?"

Still confused, she shook her head and rushed to his side. "You've got it?" She nodded towards the pushchair.

"Obviously," Draco said, the annoying smirk still plastered on his face.

Merlin, she wanted to smack it off.

Why was he being so nice all of a sudden?What was he playing at?

He glanced at her and widened the smirk. "See something you like?"

Her thoughts were rushing inside her head so fast that she didn't realise she was staring at him. Blushing, she gave him a disgusted look. "Don't make me sick, Malfoy. Theo's far more handsome."

She could tell Draco didn't appreciate that, as she could see his knuckles turning white from clutching the handles of the pushchair too tight. But when she looked at his face, he gave her a look of mock-hurt.

"Don't ever insult my looks like that ever again," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, you practically called your son hideous."

"What!" she gasped angrily. "Be quiet, Malfoy, I did no such thing."

"Aidan looks like me, in a way. You're saying that Theo's a better looking bloke than your own son…"

"Just shut up." She pushed him to the side and continued on to push the pram. "I think something's wrong with you, or that you're probably someone else pretending to be Malfoy, or you're just messing with me or something."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Draco laughed, "Merlin, I always knew Muggle-borns weren't right in the head."

Choosing to ignore him, she continued muttering to herself about how confused she was and how annoying Malfoy was. She didn't see Draco breaking out a genuine smile behind her back.

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"You've got to be joking," Ron snorted, helping himself to a handful of pork chops.

Hermione shook her head and sighed, throwing herself on the chair beside him. "Nope. I'm serious, he was being civil... It was just so _odd_."

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny snickered, taking some of Ron's food without permission. "I think you're just paranoid."

"Well, of course I am!" Hermione huffed, crossing her arms. "Wouldn't you be, if the git who was rotten towards you for years just suddenly decide to be nice?"

"He's not being all nice. He still insults you like he did back in Hogwarts," Harry reminded her, flipping through one of her Muggle magazines. "That seems normal, at least. I mean, you said so yourself, Hermione. He was trying and I know that seems –''

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Hermione groaned. Why were they taking this easier than she was? "This is _Draco Malfoy_! As in, Draco 'I bloody hate Mudbloods and even half-bloods' Malfoy."

"How can he hate half-bloods if Voldemort was one? He used to serve him, didn't he?" Ginny asked, frowning. "Speaking of half-bloods, where is Aidan? I want to play with him."

"You're changing the subject!" Hermione snapped. "And Aidan's sleeping, so don't bother him. Every time you come over, Aidan never sleeps."

Ginny scowled. "It's not my fault he likes me."

Harry laughed, leaning forward to give Ginny a kiss on the cheek before turning back to Hermione. "Honestly, though. Remember during sixth year when _I_ was very paranoid about Malfoy? Don't forget, _you_ were the one who told me to give it a rest and to stop accusing him."

"But you were right the whole time!" Ron interrupted. "You were right when you kept saying he was a Death Eater."

"And now I'm saying to just go with the flow," Harry sighed, reaching over to squeeze Hermione's hand.

"The what?" Ron and Ginny asked simultaneously, their faces scrunched up in confusion.

Harry ignored them and continued. "If you're suspicious of his behaviour, don't show it. Just go along and try as hard as he is."

It was easy for Harry to say. He didn't know what Draco was capable of these days. Or maybe he did... but still. Hermione hesitated for a second but still shook her head. "I'm not going to just forget everything, Harry. But I will play along and always be on my guard."

"There you go!" Harry grinned. "Play along. Tell us if he's being an evil git and –"

"– and we'll punch him in the face for you," Ron finished for him, getting up to put his plates by the sink. "By the way, great food. You cook better now than you did when we were on the run."

Hermione rolled her eyes but laughed. "Thanks, Ronald."

The sound of a baby crying was heard as the friends continued their much-needed time together.

"Oh, sounds like the baby's awake!" Ginny beamed, getting up and rushing to the nursery. "Aunt Ginny is coming, Aidan!"

Harry groaned. "I'm afraid she wants an Aidan of her own, Hermione, and it's entirely your fault."

Ron grimaced."Disgusting."

Hermione laughed, feeling more relaxed than ever before.

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"So."

"So…"

The awkward tension in the room was so heavy that Hermione could barely breathe. She glanced to her side but noticed the windows were already open, so there was plenty of air in the room.

"Let's talk," she said, breaking the silence.

"You were the one who insisted to have this private talk," Draco scoffed, crossing his arms to glare at her. "You can start it off."

She glared back at him and huffed. "Fine. Let's talk about us first. To be able to raise Aidan in a healthy way," she ignored Draco's sarcastic chuckle, "we need to be able to fix any problems between us."

Draco raised an eyebrow. His gaze shifted to the ground,a tiny smirk growing on his face.

Getting up, he grabbed the edge of the chair and dragged it across the floor. He continued that infuriating smirk of his as he walked towards her, slowly closing the space between them, before setting the chair down and sitting on it.

"There," He drawled, leaning back against the chair. "Go on. Fix it."

Hermione gawked at him, noticing how close he was. So close, in fact,that their knees werean inch from touching. "That – that was not what I meant."

He chuckled, placing his hand under his chin.. He stared at her with barely contained amusement. "Then you should have been more specific, Granger."

"Prick."

"I thought this was supposed to be a _civilized conversation_?"

"It is."

"Well, this is not how a _civilized conversation _is supposed to be like."

"Stop saying it like that!" Hermione snapped, kicking the leg of his chair.

Draco smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "Let us begin this so-called _civilized conversation_, then."

She wanted to smack him across the face _so_ much. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten and let out a few deep breaths to contain her anger and annoyance. After opening them, she noticed Draco watching her.

"What's wrong with you?"

Draco blinked."What?"

She tried not to roll her eyes again. "I mean... you're different. Why?"

He still looked confused. "Different how, Granger?"

"Stop playing around, Malfoy."

"I don't see how I'm different, Granger. To be quite honest and blunt, I still think you're pathetic, I still think Astoria is a far better witch than you are, which is saying something, I still think you were horrible in bed, and oh yes... I still hate you. So what's different?"

Hermione chose not to let her temper show. She was trying to be mature, after all, wasn't she? "You're being more... civil. You were never civil."

"Well this is a _civilized conversation_." Draco smirked, enjoying riling her up.

"So, you're saying that after this conversation, you're going to revert back to your nasty ways."

Draco yawned and stretched, looking bored."Of course. If any of my colleagues ask me, 'oh hey, isn't that Granger?' I'll say something like, 'why yes. It's that filthy Mudblood scum that Potter used to shag'."

"Harry and I never…!" Hermione snapped, reaching forward to slap his hand away from under his chin, causing him to flinch. Normally, Draco would have snapped back, but he seemed more annoyed than angry.

"Don't touch me," he scowled, leaning on the chair.

"Also, I never want you to ever say that disgusting word in front of me or Aidan, do you understand?" Hermione continued, taking her wand out to show she wasn't joking.

Draco eyed the wand, his annoyance turning into anger. "If you're telling me to change my views on filth like you then –"

"No, you bloody moron. I no longer care if you think Muggle-borns are scum, but I do care if you say that _word_ in front of Aidan." Quickly, she pointed her wand at him and muttered a quick spell.

Immediately, Draco stood up and glared down at her, looking like the Malfoy she was familiar with. "What did you do to me, Granger?"

However, Hermione seemed unfazed. "If you ever say that word while Aidan and I are around, you'll see what happens to you."

"You stupid –"

"Careful, now."

Draco looked like he was about to hit her, but once he noticed a book lying beside the nearest table, he made a grab for it and threw it across the room. Once the book hit the wall with a loud thump, landing messily on the floor, Draco sat back down and continued to glare at her.

Well, at least he didn't hurt her like he normally would have done... Strange.

"You cursed me!"

"Please," Hermione scoffed, finally feeling more powerful and satisfied. "I don't want to go to Azkaban."

Draco kicked her chair leg but remained in his seat.

Hermione tutted. "Well, that's another thing we can work on. Your temper."

He ignored her, glaring at the floor.

"You sure you don't remember slapping me?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious. "It's impossible for _me _to forget..."

His eyes shot towards her, looking livid. "Why do you keep accusing me of hitting you? I never laid my hands on you, other than that pathetic fuck we had."

"You are such a liar!" Hermione snapped."How can you not remember?"

"I've no bloody idea what you're talking about!" Draco shouted back.

The look on his face made Hermione pause.

His eyes were wide and watery, filled with a mixture of frustration, anger, and... wait a minute, was that_ fear_? His skin has gone a shade lighter, making him even paler than he already was, if that was even possible. His hands were clutched tight into fists, so tight that she could see his veins popping out from under his skin. Merlin, she had never seen him look that scared before... except for sixth-year, perhaps.

What the hell was going on?

"Did someone curse you, Malfoy?" she had to ask. His behaviour was something she didn't understand.

"No," Draco scoffed, slowly relaxing but keeping his upper body tense.

"Do you remember dragging me into your room, demanding to know whether I was pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember telling me you didn't want any part of Aidan's life?"

Draco looked away, guiltily, but snapped, "Yes."

"Do you remember–"

"For fuck's sake, Granger! Yes, yes, yes! I'm not mentally deficit! I remember everything, down to where you foolishly thought I was interested in you in the beginning, just because I was _nice_ to you for the first time!" He noticed Hermione flinch, and stopped. He stared at her for only a second and shook his head, staring back at the carpet design on her floor. "Everything, except for me slapping you."

But that still didn't make any sense. Why the hell didn't he remember? Did someone curse him? Did someone pretend to be him? Was he _Obliviated_?

Was he telling the truth?

Hermione's brain was piling up with question after question, and she could already feel a headache forming. She looked at the clock and sighed. "Alright."

Draco blinked, watching her carefully. When she continued to stare at anything other than him, he cleared his throat. "What are you thinking?"

Hermione was still deep in thought, she didn't answer him. What could she do? What if he was lying? But then again, what if he was telling the truth?

Well... Harry did say to play along, didn't he?

"Maybe we should just try to take this one step at a time" Hermione suggested, finally looking at him. She straightened herself on her seat and raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response.

Draco sneered. "If you think I want to be friends with you –"

"Who said anything about being friends?" Hermione scoffed. "I mean, let's just try to be civil. I mean, really civil. No names, no insults. If you don't like what I'm doing, you politely tell me in private. Same goes for me."

Draco's lips curled into a cruel sneer, as if he was disgusted with the thought of actually having to work with her over the issue.

When he didn't answer, Hermione shrugged and got up. "Then say goodbye to Aidan."

"You're a real bitch, Granger."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

He shook his head. "I can't change how I feel about the likes of you, Granger. You can't expect me to change immediately."

"I know," Hermione sighed, sitting back down. "Same with me about being disgusted with that ugly tattoo on your arm and by whom you used to be. Which is why we will _try_ to take this one step at a time... starting with being civil. We don't have to like each other, but for Aidan's sake, let's not show him any negativity."

Draco wanted to roll his eyes at how naïve she was. Whatever. If that was what she wanted..."Fine."

To his shock, she beamed at him.

Her face split into a wide smile and her eyes lit up. He didn't fail to notice how obviously attractive that smile made her look, but he was starting to get uncomfortable and an oddly warm feeling was developing somewhere within his stomach, just with that look aimed towards him. It was so disconcerting that he stared down at the floor again.

"Truce?"

His eyes shifted up, noticing her hand extending towards him.

One step at a time.

Try.

Swallowing hard, he gripped her hand hard and shook it. "Alright."

.

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**I love how this story is so controversial haha I keep getting mixed reviews like some people wants Hermione to be more of a badass towards Draco, and others want her to forgive him and have Draco be more nicer haha  
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**and for those kind reviews, you guys are awesome, thank you =)**

**SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! **

**hope it's okay! sorry if it's a let down =(  
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**_THANK YOU TO THE LOVELY AND WONDERFUL SIRIUSLYHOLLY FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER!_  
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**review = update!  
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	16. Another News?

**Disclaimer: noo i dont own harry potter and co.**

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**Chapter 16**

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Feeling bored, Theo threw the book on the desk beside him. He glanced to his right to see Draco staring out of the window with a blank expression on his face.

"So, I don't know about you," Theo sighed as he got up from his chair, "but as much as I love sitting here doing nothing but reading a _lovely_ book... I thought you asked me to come here because you wanted to, oh, I don't know…go flying or something. Was I wrong?"

Draco remained silent, leaning against the windowsill.

One minute passed.

Quiet.

_So..._

Theo, feeling awkward by the silence, noisily walked up to him. He peeked through the window Draco kept looking out of and only saw the mass of green from his garden.

"Yeah, your garden is quite fetching," Theo smirked, patting his friend on the back. "But I think flying is better, so let's go, yeah?"

"Have you heard from Granger, lately?" Draco asked suddenly, a frown on his face.

Theo frowned too. "Yesterday, I believe. Why?"

Draco sighed, finally turning away from the window to face his friend. "She told me that she'd owl me."

"Woah, since when have Hermione and you become owl-mates?" Theo asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the wall.

Draco scowled at his friend's foolishness. "You're an idiot. Didn't she tell you? For Aidan's sake, we decided to start over. As in, we have to be civil to one another and hold off this 'negativity' thing, as she calls it."

"Huh." _Interesting_. Theo smirked, shaking his head. "I give it three days."

"What?"

"Three days before you and Hermione are back to square one. You'll be calling her that stupid name and she'll be slapping you." Theo began to grin widely, clearly amused. "Want to wager?"

Draco shoved Theo with his shoulder as he walked towards the nearby table. "Prick. What if _I_ owl _her_?"

Theo, rubbing the sting in his arm, rolled his eyes. "Why would you owl her?"

"I don't know... I mean, she said she'd owl me –"

"Then wait for her," Theo interrupted with an annoyed sigh, throwing himself down a sofa. Clearly they were not going to leave anytime soon.

"But I haven't heard from her in two bloody days!" Draco complained, feeling agitated. "She said she'd let me know when I could see Aidan."

He tore a piece of parchment from his desk and grabbed a quill. He dipped the tip inside the ink bottle but then stopped abruptly. "Wait... but then I'll look desperate," Draco groaned, feeling confused with this foreign inner battle. "But, if I don't, I'll look uninterested, right? Damn it, maybe I'll just write. But what if-"

"For Merlin's sake!" Theo snapped, getting up to grab the parchment from Draco's reach. He grabbed the quill and jotted down a few words. When he finished, without waiting for Draco to read it, he charmed the ink to dry and gave it to Draco's owl. "Here you go, give this to Hermione Granger. Oh, and wait until she replies."

The loyal owl hooted in response and grabbed the letter with its beak. The owl gave another hoot and flew out the window until they could no longer see him.

"What did you write?" Draco asked, glaring at his friend. "Theo, _what did you write_?"

"Relax," Theo scoffed, waving his hand dismissively and walking back to the sofa. "I simply said that you were annoying me about seeing Aidan and to please let me know when you can see him. I mean, for Merlin's sake, you were bloody _nervous_ just to owl her! _You_! Nervous!" Theo began to laugh.

"Fuck you, Theo. I'm never nervous," Draco snapped, clearly annoyed.

Theo rolled his eyes."Yeah, okay. So are we going to fly or what?"

"What if Granger's response comes back and we're not here?"

"Are you_ fucking_ kidding me?" Theo growled. He got up and walked over to his broomstick. "Your owl will leave it here, then. Now, shut up, get your bloody broom, and let's go."

Hesitating for only a beat, Draco let out a heavy sigh and nodded. Maybe a bit of fresh air would do him good, anyway.

.

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"Give me five Galleons," Theo smirked, stretching his handout towards Draco. They had betted on whose broom was the fastest as they raced. Draco was so intent on winning that Theo decided to add another galleon as a friendly bet.

"Fine!Five Galleons then!" Draco had said at the time, enjoying himself. "Whoever wins gets five galleons. You better start paying now, Theo, because we both know the broom doesn't matter! I'm a far better flyer than you are. Therefore, I'm the fastest. Pay up!"

Obviously, Draco ate his own words.

"It's only because I gave you a head-start," Draco snapped, tossing Theo his winnings. He opened the Manor's back door and they proceeded to go inside, tossing their broomsticks on the ground.

"Of course," Theo said sarcastically. He counted the galleons and grinned. "Maybe I'll buy Granger that new robe she was looking at with this money."

Unknowingly, Draco's face darkened. He was about to voice his thoughts about how ridiculous she would look when he was stopped by the sound of a feminine giggle.

Even Theo heard it, for he stopped too.

"Expecting company?" Theo asked. "I didn't know Astoria and your mother were close."

"Shut up," Draco hissed, taking his wand out as they both ventured toward the sound.

As they got closer, so did the voice. However, another voice - this time, obviously male - blended in with the girl's.

"Mate, that sounds like-"

"_Ssshh!_" Draco hushed him, throwing him a warning look. He pointed his wand at the closed guest room door. "_Alohamora."_

Theo's eyes widened once Draco flew the door open. "Merlin!"

"_What the fuck_?" Draco shouted, a mixture of shock and anger shooting through him.

Astoria let out a surprised squeak and hitched the blanket upwards to cover her decency. Blaise let out a string of curses and immediately covered himself with a shirt that was laid on the floor. Both had the grace to look ashamed.

"Draco..."

"Shut up," Draco said quietly, glaring at Astoria with a look that made her stiffen. "Just shut up."

Blaise tried to speak. "Listen, mate-"

"Fuck you," Draco snapped, not wanting to hear anything they had to say.

He_ knew_ there had been something going on between the two. The way Astoria always talked about him and the hours they had spent together. He just never wanted to believe it because he thought she had more respect for herself, and he thought Blaise had the decency to tell him the truth like the good friend he claimed to be.

After a long awkward silence passed, Theo cleared his throat. "Astoria, cover yourself. Blaise, you too." He gently grabbed Draco by the arm and pulled him from the room. "Come on, Draco. Let's wait outside, yeah? You don't want to do anything you'll regret."

Draco remained quiet but followed his friend. He was right, he had other things to worry about.

.

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**_A week later_**

"Why haven't you owled me back?"

Hermione gasped with surprise, snapping her attention away from her paperwork to glare at the intruder. "Malfoy? What are you- don't you ever knock?"

"Why didn't you reply back?" Draco repeated, glaring at her against the door. "I owled you a week ago; why didn't you reply?"

Hermione sighed. "First of all, I'm busy at the moment-"

"Answer me," Draco snapped. At the displeased look she was giving him, his glare softened."Please."

She continued to stare at him. "I've been very busy with work, obviously." She nodded towards the mountain of paper work she had to go through. "You should know, since we work in the same building."

"But I don't work _with _you," Draco pointed out, feeling more annoyed than angry. "Still, you could have owled me."

Hermione frowned, staring at her work. She would be lying if she said she wasn'tshocked, as Draco would usually throw some kind of male _bitch fit_ if she didn't do what he said... but, he wasn't.

Interesting, yet very strange.

She looked up and studied him. His arms were crossed and he wore a scowl on his face as if he was still a spoilt boy who didn't get what he wanted. He had also been staring at her, but when their eyes locked for a second, his gaze immediately shifted to the ground.

Strange indeed.

"How about this," Hermione reluctantly proposed, "I get off in about an hour, so, do you want to wait for me? We can Apparate back to my house and-"

"Wait, who's taking care of Aidan?" Draco interrupted, frowning.

"Ginny," Hermione told him. "I know you said your mother and Astoria would be happy to babysit him, but Ginny wanted-"

"Not with Astoria, but with your friends... that's fine," he said, shrugging. _As long as it isn't Theo again..._

"Why not Astoria?" Hermione asked, gathering her paperwork into a pile.

"That's none of your business, Granger," Draco snapped. "Just don't ever allow her to take care of Aidan. Same goes for Blaise."

Hermione looked at Draco, very curious. When he made no attempt to elaborate, she sighed. "So, yeah, do you want to just meet up later then?"

Draco nodded with no hesitation. "I'm actually done with my shift."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Well then, I guess you can just wait for me in the cafeteria? Like I said, I get off in an hour."

Draco sighed and turned around to leave. However, the huge pack of paperwork caught his eye, causing him to pause. He eyed the work she was assigned to do and nodded towards it. "Do you... erm, do you need to do all of those today?"

Hermione followed his gaze and grimaced. "Well, Kingsley said to do as much as I can today and the rest tomorrow. But I have other things to sort tomorrow, so I'd rather I do them all today."

Draco scoffed. There was no way she could finish that load of paperwork in just an hour.

"Do you need any help?" he asked quietly, already grabbing a stack.

Hermione's eyes widened in alarm. "No! No, it's perfectly fine, I can do them all."

But Draco waved her rejections away with a dismissive hand. "Really, Granger. With my help, you'll finish faster. Stop complaining."

She glared at him."I am _not_ complaining. This is my job, Malfoy. Not yours."

''So, I'm volunteering to help you out, what's the problem?"

Hermione stopped what she was doing and stared at him. _Seriously_? She didn'tknow if he was being serious about helping her or if he was just being a git again. Merlin, she knew that he agreed to a truce, but really? Shouldn't he still be a _little_ bit mad? Normally he would take her work and mock it, or something. But he was offering to help. Why?

Draco could feel her questioning gaze burning into his back, so he refused to turn around. He knew what she was thinking. Even he wondered what he was thinking sometimes, coming over here personally to ask about her not replying to his owl. Wasn't it _her_ idea for them to come together as civil adults, for the sake of Aidan? But she had been avoiding him about it and it was actually really upsetting him. They had a truce, for Merlin's sake.

Originally, he had planned on harassing her about it, but upon seeing her immediately something felt... normal?. After all the infidelity going on at the Manor, seeing the annoying know-it-all Muggle-born was more - dare he think it? - well, he didn't know. It just sort of eased the stress away even for a little while. And now suddenly he was asking if she needed help. Draco knew she was confused, because he was even more confused.

But if this was what it took for him to spend some time with his own son, then whatever. He knew he didn'tdeserve togetto know Aidan, but he was a selfish man. That was a part of him that would never change.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Draco blinked. His mind was so clouded with thoughts that he didn't realise she was talking to him. "What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but explained again. "These are cases. Kingsley wants me to sort them by category. For example: curses, kidnaps, Muggle involvement and so on and so forth." She nodded towards her finished pile. "You can start with what I have there, if you like. If you have any questions, let me know."

Without waiting for his reply, she walked back to her desk and sat down with a heavy sigh. Instead of continuing her work, she watched him.

_This is just too weird. _Hermione frowned to herself, placing the parchment in front of her. Shaking her head and getting back to work, she mentally told herself to get to the bottom of it soon. Because, clearly, he must be up to something if he was being that decent.

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**_Four days later_**

Draco had once again invited her for a late lunch once both of their shifts were over. He was clearly excited - which she hadn'tseen him be, ever - about something, so Hermione couldn't help herself but be hesitant.

"Read it," Draco commanded once they found a decent seat. He grabbed a newspaper from his suitcase and shoved it in front of her.

Hermione stared at the paper with distrust. "And what is this?"

Draco rolled his eyes and pushed it towards her. "How will you know if you don't read it, Granger?"

She snorted,grabbed the _Daily Prophet_, and unfolded the papers loudly. The headline caused her eyes to widen as it caught her attention.

**Most Anticipated Malfoy/Greengrass Wedding: "It's Over!"**

**_The truth is out! Who and what caused this unexpected break up? _**

**Written by Rita Skeeter**

Hermione didn't bother reading the article. Why, when she could ask the most reliable source in front of her? She looked up and shook her head in confusion. "What the hell happened?"

"Caught Astoria shagging Blaise," he said bluntly and dismissively, as if it wasn't surprising.

Well, it really wasn't... even Hermione knew something was going on between those two ever since she saw Astoria visiting Blaise's shop. But still, shouldn't he be extremely pissed off, or something?

"How's Astoria?" Hermione asked worriedly."And Blaise? Merlin, how are _you_ doing?"

He may be a git, but that didn'tmean she didn'tcare...

Draco merely shrugged. "She's a slut."

"I can see how very upset you are about this," Hermione said sarcastically, noticing how relaxed Draco looked.

Draco shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. "Very. Now the Malfoy fortune will belong to me and only me again. Very heart-breaking, it hurts."

She scowled. "So, you're okay with this because you still get to keep all of your money?"

"Don't be stupid, Granger," Draco sighed, clearly annoyed. He set his glass down and leaned towards her. "Am I upset that this news is printed and written by the most idiotic journalist? Yes. Am I upset that the engagement is over? No, because it means I have more time with Aidan and you."

Hermione, who was in the middle of drinking her water, spluttered after hearing the last word. She cleared her throat to ease the discomfort. "Excuse me?"

"Are you deaf?" Draco smirked, crossing his arms as he looked at her. "I said, without this shit happening, I can now focus my time with you and Aidan."

Hermione grimaced.

"Now, doesn't that sound lovely?" Draco continued on, sarcastically. "Just imagine... you, Aidan and I. Just the three of us getting to know each other-"

"I already know what kind of arsehole you are, prick." Hermione half-joked, taking a large gulp of her wine. She relished the bitter taste as the news sunk in.

"Now, now," Draco chuckled, leaning against his chair to stare at her in amusement. "We're supposed to be _civilized,_ remember? We're supposed to start all over. Or did you forget too-"

"Shut up," Hermione groaned, grabbing the paper again and scanning the column. "Merlin, Malfoy, now that this is out… everyone is going to wonder. The public will want to know why the wedding is off, or if you have another girl, or if-"

"Let them think whatever they want to think." Draco shrugged, looking completely at ease.

Hermione blinked. Maybe hedidn't really understand the situation because it could lead to so much drama she wasn'tmentally prepared for. "Malfoy, I mean the public would know about Aidan-"

"Everyone we know already knows about Aidan, thanks to your Weasel lady friend-"

"The public, Malfoy! These days, everyone is nosy about other people's lives! When they find out about Aidan, what's next? They would all be curious about the first ever half-blood Malfoy," Hermione rambled on, ignoring him. Her voice was becoming higher and she was talking faster. "What are we going to do? I don't want people to know about Aidan yet! He's still so young and-"

"Can you calm the fuck down, Granger?" Draco snapped, annoyance flickering over his face. "Merlin, it's like you've never dealt with the media before."

"I have!" Hermione slapped her hand on the table, glaring at him and ignoring the whispers from the nosy people around them. "I've dealt with it since I was a first year at Hogwarts, Malfoy. Imagine what the media will think when they find out you've gotten a _Mudblood_ pregnant!"

"Shut up, Granger," Draco growled, uncharacteristically flinching at that word.

But Hermione didn't notice it so she continued on. "They would find out that you _tricked_ me and-"

"No they won't, because I've got a plan," Draco interrupted her with a smirk, looking so full of himself that Hermione's temper was about to explode.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Pray tell, what genius plan have you got, Malfoy?"

"We'll talk to the people closest to us about this plan so the story is the same," Draco added, as if the thought had just occurred to him. He had a large grin on his face as he stared at her.

Hermione began to feel that uncomfortable feeling again. "What?"

"Isn't it obvious we have to do? _We_ will be getting married."

.

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><p>.<p>

**Dunn, dunnn, DUNNNN. LOL haha hiii everyone! Welcome back ;) thank you to the lovely Siriusly Holly for fixing this chapter up =)  
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**I am so sorry for the extremely late update. I have had some personal family issues going on to the point where I felt like I had no feelings to write at all. But now I'm moving on =)**

**I've also been busying myself with another Dramione story I was doing called Dragon of the Bad Faith so if you'd like, check that out? =)**

**Also, if you're a The Vampire Diaries fan, I wrote a Klaroline one shot!**

**ANYYWAAAYYYY... REVIEW REVIEW! **

**Even if you alert or favorite this, thank you so much but let me know what you're thinking still! haha they help me =)**

**REVIEW = UPDATE ;)**


	17. Memories

**Disclaimer: noo i dont own harry potter and co.**

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**Chapter 17**

.

Hermione stared.

And stared.

And stared.

She could hear Draco echoing inside her head.

Over and over and over... bits and pieces of their conversation...

_"Isn't it obvious Granger? We're getting married."_

_"Isn't it obvious?"_

_"Obvious?"_

_"We're getting married."_

_"...married."_

As Hermione stood in shock, she watched Draco's face morph into a smug smirk.

Hermione regained her composure. "What the hell did you just say?" she screeched, jumping up to glare at him.

Draco merely raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Are you deaf, Granger? Do I need to repeat myself? I said our solution is quite simple. We're going to get married."

Draco stifled his amusement as he watched the woman's emotions run over her face.

Confusion, shock, anger.

He honestly didn't know why had he said it, but it was worth it to watch Hermione's face go from shocked to confused to pissed off. Draco may have decided to be civil and act more respectable towards his child's mother - well, respectable for him, anyway - despite the false accusations of him hitting her, but he still liked to rile her up.

Just for old time's sake, of course.

Draco cleared his throat and scooted his chair closer to the table, raising his eyebrows challengingly.

Hermione opened her mouth, but closed it again.

"Have I rendered Hermione Granger speechless?" Draco smirked, taking a sip of his drink casually.

"You're barking," Hermione snapped, abruptly getting up from her seat. "If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do - get your hands off of me!"

Draco had wrapped his hand around her wrist, preventing her from leaving. "Granger, sit down."

Hermione grabbed the Daily Prophet and smacked his hand, "Leave me alone!" she hissed.

Draco snatched the paper from her with his other hand and placed it on top of the chair next to him, away from her reach. He turned to her again with a scowl and rolled his eyes, but gently tugged her closer to him.

"Granger, everyone is watching. Do you want more curious people wandering around in our business? Because if not, I recommend you sit down, hush up and stop making make a scene."

Hermione glared at him, but looked up. People were giving them curious glances. Giving a quick reassuring smile to the nosy audience, she gently sat back down, only to slap his hand away from her wrist.

Draco tutted at her, but didn't say anything as he let go. "My, my, aren't we violent today?"

"I remember you being more violent to me, so shut up," she snapped, grabbing her forgotten drink and taking a big sip, relishing the burning in her throat.

Draco could feel her annoyance settling in him as he let out a heavy sigh. "For fuck's sake, Granger, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't even remember -"

''Oh, shut up," Hermione said, taking her wine cup and swirling the liquid around idly. "Just stop talking."

She heard Draco let out a deep sigh, but she didn't bother looking up. So, it was going to be like that again? Him supposedly not remembering hitting her? Hermione sighed inwardly.

As if. That was simply impossible for him to forget. After all, he was a horrible, evil man. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater, no matter how "changed" they claimed to be.

After a few more awkward minutes, she could feel Draco's stare burning into her skin, giving her no choice but to look up.

He was looking at her with an almost painful stare. His mouth was curved downwards and his eyebrows were furrowed as if in deep thought, but his eyes pierced her with an intense look, causing her to remain uncomfortable.

"Stop staring at me," Hermione mumbled, throwing him a cold glare.

Draco merely blinked, as if only just realizing what he was doing. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and stared at the table.

"Granger, I don't care if you don't believe me but I honestly don't remember hitting you. If I did, that is." He ignored Hermione's hollow laugh and paused. It was really hard apologizing for something he didn't remember doing.

Cursing himself, Draco continued to glare at the tabletop and cleared his throat before speaking again. "If I did, then I am so sorry. I know we will never get along, but please." He finally looked up, thankful that she was at least listening to him. "We need to work this out, together. For Aidan."

Hermione blinked, and looked away.

So he had apologized. But was that enough? When she was small, Hermione's parents had always taught her that if you hurt someone and felt bad about it, you apologized. But she was not a little girl anymore. How could she trust him?

"Let's just keep this professional, then?" Hermione suggested. "This is only about work and Aidan."

Draco nodded, relieved that they were finally moving forward. "Right."

"I mean, none of this nonsense about getting married," Hermione said slowly, hoping he understood her point.

Draco blinked. "A Malfoy can't have a bastard son, Granger." Immediately, he regretted it.

Hermione felt the heat of her anger bubbling to the surface once again as his words washed over her.

_Bastard son?_ Did that foul man just call her son a _bastard?_

Hermione grabbed her drink and tossed the remainder of it onto his face, watching with a satisfied smirk as the wine stained his hundred-galleon dress robes and dripped down his pale pointed face. She was so satisfied that she didn't notice that the people around them gasped and whispered, wanting to know what Draco's reaction would be.

Like she cared.

"Screw you, Malfoy," she said quietly, as Draco's wine-splattered face glared back at her.

Her satisfaction was short lived.

"This is ridiculous," Draco growled under his breath, getting up. He threw a small pile of coins on top of the table for their drinks, grabbed her arm before she could leave, and immediately Apparated them away from the nosy crowds.

.

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><p>.<p>

Blaise gathered Astoria's hair and pushed it to the side, stroking her in the process. He leaned down to kiss her cheeks and frowned when he felt the wetness. "What's wrong?"

Astoria smiled sadly. "I just feel guilty, that's all."

"What for?" Blaise asked, taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on her palm. "We got what we wanted, right? You're no longer engaged to him. You and I are free to be together."

Astoria sighed, turning her head away from him to face the ceiling, "I know. But all that we had to go through and poor Narcissa… and -"

"This is why I love you," Blaise laughed. "You are so nice. Too nice, I think."

Astoria grinned. "Am not. I mean, I did cheat on my fiancé with you, after all."

Blaise smirked. "That's not all you did," he said cheekily, rolling on top of her, swallowing Astoria's squeals of delight. "You and I… we're going to get married, right?"

"Yes," Astoria said, stroking his hair. "Let's wait until the news of my failed engagement to Draco fades and then I will be all yours."

.

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"Let go of me!" Hermione snapped, yanking her arm away from his grasp as they landed. She took a step back and gathered her bearings as she looked around them.

"Why did you Apparate us here?" she asked, nodding towards the grassy areas around them and noticing people jogging around far from them. She gasped, "You're an idiot! Muggles could have spotted us Apparate!"

Draco threw her a look as he bent down to pick up a rock. "I'm not stupid, Granger. I cast a type of invisible charm on us so the Muggle eyes can't see."

"That still doesn't explain why we're here."

Draco sighed, throwing the rock at the lake. The embarrassment was almost too overbearing for him. "This is where I found out."

Hermione's patience was decreasing. "Found out what, Malfoy?"

"Where I found out you were pregnant with our baby." He didn't know why he said it. He wanted to mentally kick himself in the face for even telling her that. Fuck, it sounded too cheesy for his liking. Why did he tell her? He could have just lied.

However, Hermione was just shocked that he even remembered. After all, he kept claiming he didn't remember some parts of their 'relationship'. So, she cleared her throat and asked, "What? You found out at the manor when Astoria told you, didn't you?"

He turned around to face her and surprised her with a thin, but real smile.

"No. I mean, I kind of figured it out here. You were talking to your bloody stomach like a moron. Hermione Granger, eating ice cream when she's known for not eating sweets thanks to her parentage and how you vomited it all out after slapping me." He smirked at the blush forming in her cheeks as he continued. "It wasn't hard to put everything together. I just didn't want to believe it."

"Until Astoria confirmed it," Hermione finished for him.

"Well, technically the Healer, but yeah." Draco shrugged as he walked up to her. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tiny sting of hurt to her reaction, backing away from him. "Granger -"

"So, what? You're feeling nostalgic all of a sudden?" Hermione asked, still backing away from him as he drew closer. She stopped when her back hit a rubbish bin - the same rubbish, she grimaced in thought.

Draco must have noticed, because he smirked again. "Merlin, Granger. Don't be scared. It's not like I can hurt you here in public, can I?" he murmured, finally taking the last step closer to her.

Hermione held her breath but kept her chin up. "Malfoy -"

"I meant it when I said I didn't remember," Draco interrupted her, still speaking softly so only she could hear. "I know I keep saying it, but it's true. I know you don't believe me, but I'm not lying when I say that I will help you and Aidan."

Hermione looked away, uncomfortable. "Look -"

"He's not a bastard," he said suddenly, getting her attention. "I shouldn't have said that."

"I'm not going to marry you," Hermione let out. "Just because we have a son, it does not mean - I mean, I don't care what the papers say anymore -"

"At least an engagement," Draco tried to reason with her. "My reputation as a Malfoy still can't have -"

"I don't care about your bloody reputation!" Hermione replied angrily. "I don't want my son to have an unloving family!"

"So, you rather he'd be fatherless?" Draco snapped back, getting irritated with the stubborn witch. Couldn't she see he was trying?

It was as if she read his mind, for her expression relaxed into a defeated one. "Draco... I'm not saying I don't want you in his life. I did, but he still has the right, especially since you're trying."

"But marriage is a big deal and I don't want that kind of marriage," she continued, slowly pushing his chest so he could give her some space.

Draco continued to stare at her silently. Hermione inwardly prayed to Merlin that he understood what she was trying to say. Seriously, married? To him? Unlikely. It may be old-fashioned, but she only wanted to marry for love. Not for a stupid reputation.

"Okay," Draco said, defeated. "But, promise me that I get to know everything going on with him?"

Hermione would be lying if she said she wasn't shocked. Normally, Draco would throw some kind of male bitch-fit for not getting what he wanted. But there he was now, letting her win.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, she nodded. "Thank you."

Draco took a step back and watched as Hermione quickly went around him, heading towards the bench. She let out a heavy breath as she sat down, obviously tired.

Frowning, Draco shoved his hands into his pocket and stared at the floor, mindlessly kicking the rocks here and there. He was trying to think back to after he found out about her pregnancy. When they accused him of hitting her. Why couldn't he remember? He definitely remembered a lot of rage and shouting.

He was inwardly ashamed of his anger problems. His mother always said that he had his father's temper. But not the way he hurts women! he thought to himself. He doesn't want to act like his father.

He was not his father. Not him. No.

He was so deeply in thought that he didn't hear Hermione calling him.

"Malfoy?"

He blinked, looking up. Hermione was giving him a curious look but nodded to him to come closer to her, much to his surprise. He didn't hesitate.

"People are giving you weird looks, Malfoy," Hermione said as she scooted away from him when he sat down next to her. "What are you doing, staring at the floor?"

"Trying to remember when I slapped you," Draco said bluntly, not caring anymore.

He heard Hermione inhale sharply. "Malfoy-"

"I'm trying, Granger," he muttered, placing his head in his hands and groaning with frustration. "It's like someone messed up my memories or something. I only remember bits and pieces."

"Tell me," Hermione suggested, "maybe I can help. What do you remember? Tell me every single memory you have with me. Even small ones."

Draco shrugged, remaining slouched. "I just remember being rotten. I'm sorry about that. Then, when you were speaking to my mother in the other room, I just remember fuming inside the other room, eating an apple, muttering to myself how unfair and stupid everything was, pushing a chair... next thing I know, you were in the room, both of us shouting, and then -"

He stopped, looking blank and confused.

Hermione was literally at the edge of her seat. It was strange hearing his version of it.

"And then?" she urged him.

"And then that's all... next thing I know, after we shouted, I told you to leave because my anger was all over the place. Then Astoria showed up." Draco looked up, his features marred with frustration. "Granger, when did I do it?"

However, Hermione frowned. "That's all, Draco? You don't remember anything else?"

Draco didn't miss the use of his first name, but didn't question it.

"That's all, Granger. I just remembered us shouting, insulting each other and then kicking you out before Astoria came."

He studied Hermione's expression. She looked troubled, so the uneasiness inside him increased. "Granger?"

"You hit me that day," she mumbled, looking away to stare at the lake. "I called you a Death Eater, compared you to your father and then you slapped me."

She could hear Draco's breathing becoming uneven, so she turned her head to look at him. He was staring at her, his eyes dancing around as he looked at her face for any signs of deceit. But none.

"Granger, I'm sorry, I don't remember that," he groaned, angry at himself. What the fuck, was he going mad or something?

Hermione frowned, but didn't say anything. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she bit the side of her lip, her eyes glued to the scenery in front of them.

What made him forget? Was he Obliviated? Did someone mess with his memories?

"Draco, do you remember Astoria casting a spell on you or something?" she asked, thinking of the possibilities. "Maybe you had caught her with Blaise, so she tried to Obliviate your memories, accidentally including this one?"

Draco shook his head. "No, she's not gifted with memory charms."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Exactly. And look, she must have erased your memory with me -"

"It's not her," Draco snapped. "I would know because she didn't have a wand with her anyway, plus Blaise was at work at the time. I remembered owling him with my frustrations. Besides, Astoria was with my mother the whole time. It has to be someone inside the manor."

"But you don't remember who?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be in this mess, would I?"

Hermione let out a heavy sigh and shrugged. "Well what else is there, Malfoy? I mean, if not memory charms, then what? Unless someone tried to poison you with a potion to make your blood pressure and anger increase then -"

She stopped and gasped.

Merlin...

"What?" Draco asked, also alert. "What is it?"

She looked at him again. "Where did you get the apple?"

Draco frowned. "What?"

"The apple. You said you ate an apple," she said impatiently. "Did it taste funny? Where did you get it? Who brought it?''

Draco glared at her. "Are you kidding me? A bloody apple is what you came up with?"

"Answer the question."

Draco huffed, continuing with the steely glare. "It tasted fine to me. I don't remember where or who brought it. It was just there; I was angry, I saw it and I took it. I wanted to hurl it across the room, but ate it instead for some reason."

"Do you normally have fruit hanging around?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

Draco opened his mouth to talk but hesitated. "Well... no, but -"

"There you go!" Hermione jumped up. "Someone must have laced it with something that must have caused you to act violent. One of the side effects must have been memory loss!"

Draco stared at her. The witch had gone mad. Really? An apple? Out of all the possibilities that could have happened, she had thought of the bloody irrelevant fruit? He continued to stare at her.

Hermione's eyes were bright with excitement, her cheeks pink from breathing heavily and her hair messy as always. Crazy bitch.

"You're mad," Draco scoffed, getting up from the bench to walk away from her.

That time, Hermione was the one who ran towards him.

"You said you want to know what happened," she said, grabbing his arm.

Draco whirled around, glared at the skin contact and growled. "I do, but honestly? A fucking apple?"

"Hey, things are not always what they seem!" Hermione argued, following him. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you!" Draco shouted over his shoulder, heading towards a shaded place to avoid Muggles.

"I'm serious!" but he had already apparated away.

Hermione groaned in frustration and glared at the spot he had left. She had no proof, but if he was telling the truth when he said he didn't remember anything and would never hit a girl, it was a good possibility he was poisoned with an apple.

Honestly, hadn't the Wizarding World heard of Snow White?

But who did it? And _why?_

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><p>.<p>

**THANK YOU TO SIRIUSLY HOLLY FOR BEING AN AWESOME BETA!  
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**hiii everyone! Welcome back ;)**

**sorry it's a shorter chapter, but at least we know what the possible cause of his memory loss! haha**

**I know what you were thinking, "OMFG WHERE HAS SHE BEEN, HASN'T UPDATED IN MONTHS LA LA LA LA" i know i know, i'm so sorry! I have been sooo busy with college, my internship, and job and im finally done so yes ILL HAVE MORE TIME ON MY HANDS! **

**however, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE READERS WHO STAYED AND WAITED AND CONTINUED TO READ! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.**

**REVIEWS = DEFINITELY UPDATE ASAP. hahaha**


	18. AUTHORS NOTE

Hey guys, I am so sorry for not updating this story for ages. Truth is, I'm now on wattpad , with the username **gryffindork90**, and I've re-written this story. Except it's not Dramione anymore!

It's an actual story that I'm making up, with my own characters.

The first few chapters are the same as this, and you can still kind of see who I'm basing my characters on.. but I've decided to do an original rather than fanfiction. ALSO there are so much more chapters there then on here. (think of it as an AU version of Dramione) hahaha

SO, if you decide to check out it out anyway! just go to the wattpad website or app, and look for gryffindork90 ! Beautiful Mistake is the only story i have listed there!

PS - perhaps, when i'm done with my real version of BM...** i'll continue with the Dramione version**. I need like 3 more chapters of the original one and then i'm done! once i'm done, i'll continue the fanfic one.

I hope, as an author, you understand what I'm doing. I really want to create my own story and not write a story using characters from a different author lol.


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